Green Development Standards (GDS) are voluntary or mandatory measures created by municipalities to encourage design that is environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable. GDS are comprehensive principles to guide development at a level of planning and design that focuses on the community as a whole. These standards are integrated into the planning approvals process, where development applications are asked to meet certain criteria in the GDS.
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The Building and Development Committee
The Building and Development Committee focuses on:
- Participation on Clearview Township’s newly created Climate Action Advisory Committee (CAAC)
- Supporting all efforts of Clearview Township to adopt Green Development Guidelines, like many other Ontario municipalities, to create a low carbon community. This is also a regional effort of collaboration involving many communities in the Southern Georgian Bay area.
- Supporting Clearview Township to develope a program to support residents retrofitting their houses to reduce carbon consumption.
- Providing a trusted site where residents can find related articles and reliable facts about carbon reduction and how they can help.
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The Biodiversity and Nature Committee
- Focuses on actions to help protect and enhance nature and biodiversity across Clearview Township.
- Situated within an internationally recognized Unesco Biosphere Reserve, our Township is known for its natural, rugged beauty and rich biodiversity. Clearview township residents are incredibly fortunate to live in such a nature-rich part of the province. However, growth, climate change, rural industry and tourism all put pressure on our precious local ecosystems, and we can not afford to take our good fortune for granted. To help ensure that biodiversity and nature remain top priorities in Clearview Township, the B&N group works to:
- Inform and mobilize residents on local issues and opportunities
- Help the Township to identify ways in which policies can best align with sustainability goals set out in the Official Plan and strategy
- Organize fun and informative events to help residents learn more about local plants, animals and ecosystems.Inform and mobilize residents on local issues and opportunities
- In its first year, the group organized a speaker series attended by over 100 Clearview residents, which included talks on the ecology and importance of naturalized gardens by author and advocate Lorraine Johnson, and turtle conservation in Ontario by local naturalist and author Don Scallen. The group also began a campaign advocating for local bylaws that encourage (rather than discourage) boulevard and naturalized gardens, to benefit biodiversity and improve climate resilience. This is in line with the broader national campaign “Bylaws for Biodiversity”, led by the David Suzuki Foundation, the Canadian Wildlife Federation, as well as other prominent groups and individuals. This advocacy continues into 2025 with the hosting of a panel discussion to engage local residents, and the preparation of a delegation to Council as Council reviews its current bylaws.
- The group is looking forward to continuing to advocate for biodiversity and nature in Clearview Township, and to hosting new fun and informative events for residents throughout the year. Stay tuned for upcoming events and opportunities posted here. Please contact us if you would like to get involved!
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Turtles of Ontaio
June 20th, 2024, 7:00 pm, at Station on the Green, Creemore
Lifelong naturalist, writer and turtle lover Don Scallen will take a deep dive into the history of Ontario’s native turtle species, the grave conservation issues they face, and what we can do to help them.
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Gardening for Biodiversity
April 24th, 2024, 7:00 pm at Station on the Green, Creemore
Wondering what you can do to make a positive difference in the context of biodiversity loss? Respected author, gardener, and activist Lorraine Johnson offers meaningful actions we can all take in the gardens we steward to protect biodiversity and promote ecological resilience in our communities.