Mayor of Centre Hastings Tom Deline (File photo: Mary Thomas/Quinte News)
Plans to expand urban boundaries allowing more development, as set out in Hastings County’s new official plan, are being blocked by the provincial government.
Hastings County municipalities such as Tweed, Marmora and Lake, and Bancroft want to encourage more development in their urban areas and that had been included in the county’s official plan.
The province doesn’t support that plan. CAO Jim Pine.
Pine says it’s not a case of thousands of acres of land.
Tweed Mayor Jo-Anne Albert (File photo: Mary Thomas/Quinte News)
Mayor of Tweed Jo-Anne Albert told council she’s tired of the province telling them they can’t expand. “We need to stand up and say we need to change our boundaries. We should have the right.”
Albert pointed to western Ontario where she said there is a great deal of expansion into agricultural lands.
Mayor of Centre Hastings Tom Deline told council “We should brace our feet and say No.”
Council voted to tell the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing that the county wishes to continue with the urban boundaries as it had previously adopted in its plan, and Pine says negotiations will continue on the matter.
