Some Background

The Whitevale Nature and Marsh Committee is dedicated to preserving and restoring the former quarry located immediately North of Whitevale and West of North Road. This area is for now in public hands, owned but the Province of Ontario but Infrastructure Ontario has included in Package 10, which is presently offered for sale to developers. Infrastructure Ontario has even applied for rezoning with the City of Pickering, and has proposed a residential plan, which seems superimposed to the site, without consideration to its ecology nor topography. This site has not been recently studied for its environmental significance.

This area is in the process of regenerating. Its flora and fauna are rich, including milkweed where monarch find the ideal habitat, numerous patches of thyme thriving in the sandy areas, woodlots and meadows with diverse habitats for birds and other wildlife. Its striking topography of valleys occupied and marshes, as well as dramatic cliffs overlooking these lower areas, makes is a beautiful hiking spot, where a trailhead connected to the Seaton trail could be created so that more could enjoy this interesting "loop" off the Seaton trail.

But the site was at some point labeled residential in the CPDP, and the extent of this designation became only apparent in the October 2015 application for rezoning when the residential plan was made public. This plan superimposed a residential development, a school and a stormwater plan on the site, without any consideration for the ecology nor topography of the area. The province is now reluctant to admit its mistake and revisit its plan to sell this unique area for development. Our committee's emails and letters to the various provincial ministries and to our MPP Joe Dickson receive the same scripted response: this site is for sale since Infrastrure Ontario has been instructed by the present provincial government to sell "surplus land" to raise much needed funds.