Katie Vint has worked in the environmental field for 14 years and is concerned with what she characterizes as a lack of oversight when it comes to a residential development off Ski Club Road.
And, even though the development has now officially been approved by North Bay City Council, she remains steadfast.
"I'm not going away," Vint warned. "If you will not provide the completed EIS (Environmental Impact Study), then I'll go through access to information. And, I will report the developer every time I see a non-compliance."
Vint added, while the developer cares about the subdivision, the City should care about the taxpayers and the environment that could be put in harm's way by the project.
"I'm disheartened at the lack of consistency of information, lack of knowledge and responsibility in referencing applicable environmental legislation, and the lack of accountability by the City of North Bay and the [North Bay–Mattawa] Conservation Authority," Vint declared in leading off her presentation during Tuesday's virtual regular meeting of Council.
The New Era Homes Limited and Millford Development Limited development will see a new road extended in the 700 block of Ski Club Road down to a subdivision to be built south of the road. A previous project in the area, entitled Angela Court was approved in the 1990s. The proposed rezoning would join that development with a second swath of land to form a subdivision.
Vint had already shared several remarks with BayToday regarding the development prior to the meeting and kept the pressure on, filling her allotted 10 minutes with researched points. Watch the full presentation below:
"The conditions of approval should state that the developer must comply with all applicable legislation," Vint insisted, later adding, "Being a company does not give you carte blanche to destroy an entire forest full of birds without mitigation."
The City of North Bay has acknowledged the developer cut down trees and placed them in a watercourse on the property in 2020. "The majority of these trees were on the neighbouring property (the original Angela Court subdivision), though some were on the lands subject to these applications as well as a City-owned road allowance. Furthermore, some of the removed trees were stacked in a ravine. The owner stated that these trees were placed in that location to allow the owners’ equipment to travel throughout their property."
See the full staff report here.
Although there was a last gasp effort to return the matter to the committee level, spearheaded by Deputy Mayor Tanya Vrebosch and backed by Councillors George Maroosis and Scott Robertson, it did not gain enough support and the rezoning and plan of subdivision were approved and passed by the majority of Council.
Despite the setback, Vint says she is pursuing avenues to appeal the decision.
"It is irresponsible for Council to approve," said Vint, "not because I oppose the residential development, but because the City is not ready. It presents Council as an entity that supports development at any cost. Get your wording correct. Engage the DFO and MECP. Do it right because this will establish the procedures and standards for how you process future development requests."
