The Report Card

Election candidates for Guelph City Council responded to Wellington Water Watcher's survey to determine levels of support for our Grand Agenda for Groundwater Action. We have tabulated the results in the form of a report card — see below. Also, you can download our complete analysis of the results here.

How to Read the Report Card

The candidates were asked to respond to 12 questions with a "Yes" or "No" answer, but were also invited to leave comments to accompany their responses. In some cases, candidates made comments instead of replying "Yes" or "No". Here's the legend:

	The candidate answered "Yes"
	The candidate answered "No"
	The candidate answered with a comment instead of "Yes" or "No"
	The candidate did not answer the question

Some candidates "Did Not Respond" to the survey at all or "Declined to Respond", and one sent us a link to a statement in lieu of answering the survey. Click on the name of the candidate to read their complete survey with comments. The 12 questions are listed below the report card.

Candidates were asked to respond to these survey questions

Q1 Nestlé is permitted to take 3.6 million litres of water per day in Aberfoyle. The Staff Report to the Committee of the Whole on November 7, 2016 was explicit that a new municipal well “when it is developed, has the potential to conflict with Nestlé’s water taking” (p. 7) (see report here - refer to page 42 of 59 in the pdf document). As had been previously noted by staff and confirmed in the City’s Tier 3 Risk Assessment, the report went on to note that “there are limits to the available groundwater to satisfy Guelph’s future water supply needs,” and that “As such, future renewals of industrial water takings in the area should be weighed against the broader needs of the community” (p. 7). If elected will you “Support a Council resolution to oppose the renewal of Nestle’s permit to take water in Aberfoyle”?

Q2 Clean drinking water and breathable fresh air are necessary to sustain life. The Clair-Maltby area, for which development planning is currently underway, is the last large greenfield area within the city and thus requires very careful planning. Furthermore, because clean water and fresh air are vital to everyone, the protection of the Paris-Galt Moraine is of vital importance to all the citizens of Guelph and surrounding communities. Thus, because Guelph is a groundwater-dependent community, we must protect the groundwater recharge function and quality as well as the unique natural and cultural heritage features of the Clair-Maltby area. Guelph City Council must ensure the sensitive development of Clair-Maltby. If elected will you “Set population density at a maximum of 12,050 for Clair-Maltby”?

Q3 If elected will you “Protect the natural water recharge functions of moraine in Clair-Maltby development”?

Q4 If elected will you “Provide a full-range and size of parks as mandated by the Official Plan – urban squares, neighbourhood, community and regional parks for Clair-Maltby development”?

Q5 If elected will you “Focus on low-carbon transportation infrastructure to all amenities and residences in Clair-Maltby development”?

Q6 If elected will you “Restore, protect and maintain the integrity of the Natural Heritage System in the Clair-Maltby area including the tree canopy and the moraine topography”?

Q7 If elected will you “Protect the heritage buildings and landscapes identified in the Clair-Maltby area”?

Q8 If elected will you “Consult on Clair-Maltby development with all groups, organizations and individuals who have an interest in city-building”?

Q9 If elected will you “Obtain free, prior and informed consent from the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, as per the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples before initiating Phase 3 development activities for Clair-Maltby”?

Q10 The City, the Grand River Conservation Authority and the Province of Ontario have, over five decades, invested millions of dollars to acquire the land needed to form the largest and most complete urban stream corridor nature conservancy in Ontario. Now with land acquisition one property away from being complete, and with a Masterplan for the nature reserve adopted in principle, the City and the GRCA propose the Hanlon Creek Land Acquisition Project be abandoned and portions of the conservation-zoned land already purchased be declared surplus and sold to developers. If elected will you “Fulfill the commitment to establish the Hanlon Creek Conservancy and Nature Reserve and not consider any sale of possible surplus land until the nature reserve is fully established and functioning”? 

Q11 The Dolime Quarry in Guelph-Eramosa as been extracting aggregate for over 150 years, pumping out groundwater by the millions of litres per day and blasting deep into the layers of rock that the protect aquifer -- and therefore much of Guelph’s drinking water -- from surface water contamination. In 2008, the Ontario Geological Society discovered that excavation at the Dolime quarry had breached the protective layer of the aquifer The City of Guelph “has long maintained that excavation and water-taking at the Dolime quarry has the potential to impact the quality and quantity of Guelph’s municipal water supply system,” and is now in a formal mediation process on this issue with the quarry owner, the Ministry of the Environment, and the Ministry of Natural Resources. If elected, will you work to “bring an end to aggregate extraction at the Dolime quarry, and to ensure the highest quality mitigation of the breach and of other damage already done, with expenses covered by the quarry’s owner rather than Guelph ratepayers”?

Q12 This region’s growth and urban development is a potential threat to some water resources. Urbanization and human activities are impacting the region’s rivers, wetlands and underground reservoirs (called aquifers), and can impact both the quality and quantity of water available to local communities, industry, and plants and animals. If elected, will you “Support a Council resolution to include public lands of Guelph’s urban river corridor in an expanded Bluebelt”?

Wellington Water Watchers welcomes your comments. Please send to [email protected]