Policy Context
There are numerous provincial regulations aimed at protecting the environment while at the same time accommodating development and the use of natural resources. These regulations guide local development decisions. The goal is to strike a sustainable balance between economic prosperity, social well-being, and environmental health.
The appropriate balancing of these factors is heavily contested. Some feel that environmental protection has gone too far, while others feel it has not gone far enough.
Currently, most development is discouraged from locating on or near wetlands, fish habitat and significant wildlife habitats.
Provincial regulations also aim to protect the long term viability of ‘Provincially Significant’ resources, such as aggregate and mineral deposits, which serve an important economic function. Current regulations restrict the development of uses such as residential, parks and daycares in close proximity to known aggregate deposits. Placing these incompatible uses near aggregate deposits could restrict future aggregate operations due to the off-site impacts of increased noise, dust and truck traffic.
Another example of provincial balancing relates to development within Provincially Significant wetlands. While most development is prohibited from locating within a Provincially Significant wetland, mineral and petroleum extraction is generally permitted. In this case, the Province has identified mineral and petroleum extraction opportunities as critically important to the provincial economy.
The Agawa Canyon