FAQ's
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
#1 Are the proposed sewage treatment plant and multiple new subdivisions a “done deal”?
Answer: No! The Coalition for the West Credit River have petitioned the Federal government to designate the planned facility for a Federal Impact Assessment. The government decision will be made by May 26, 2021. The Erin Citizen Action Committee is fighting to stop the sprawl of high density subdivisions in and around Erin and Hillsburgh.
Please see the following article from The Wellington Advertiser.
#2 Is the advertised taxpayers' trunk line cost of $15,000 – $18,000 per property correct? It seems very low.
Answer: No. This cost is for the trunk line and does not include homeowner connection costs. In addition, the actual estimate of the entire proposed area to be serviced has not been done. Many property owners have obtained connection cost estimates ranging from $18,000 to well over $50,000, depending upon their property frontage and distance from their home to the street. Some homes with a wider frontage and deeper setback could see a connection cost of approx. $90,000.00.
#3 How many new homes is the Town of Erin potentially planning for?
Answer: Originally, 500 new homes were planned but a sewage treatment plant allows that number to grow to 5,000 new dwellings. A full build-out in the next 10-20 years will more than triple the town's current population of 4,400 to over 13,000. Small town charm will be lost forever.
#4 Are there plans for road enhancements and recreational facilities for the potential growth of Erin and Hillsburgh?
Answer: Planning for additional schools, recreation facilities, fire stations and new equipment, local parks, shopping facilities and road enhancements should be in a Town Official Plan and readily available to the public. The Town of Erin has commissioned and been presented with such a plan, at this point unavailable to taxpayers. There is presently no plan for a bypass road to handle increased commercial and commuter traffic.
#5 Is there an alternative to dumping 7.2 million litres of effluent per day into the West Credit River, in an Environmentally Protected Area within the UNESCO Biosphere?
Answer: Alternatives to the proposed sewage treatment plant were not afforded full consideration. There are numerous environmentally sustainable options.
#6 Where does the Credit Valley Conservation Authority stand on protecting the West Credit River?
Answer: The CVCA's powers are limited by their board of directors and scientific inputs. A member of our town council sits on that board, as do many regional politicians. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, for the CVCA to meet their conservation mandates.
#7 Where does the Town of Caledon stand on this polluting of their section of the West Credit River?
Answer: The Town of Caledon is essentially mute on this topic. There was no consultation with any downstream stakeholders.
#8 Is it true that very large machinery recently destroyed sensitive wetlands of the West Credit River?
Answer: YES – please click here to see the drone footage. The Mayor stated that “the farmer did the damage” to the West Credit River tributaries and surrounding woodlands. Erin farmers are stewards of the land and know better. Further investigation has revealed that the damage was created by contractors sent by Solmar.
#9 Why has the Mayor not fulfilled his promise to provide adequate information regarding the $2.00 purchase of the land required for the sewage plant? Is this some kind of a “quid pro quo” deal (a favour for a favour)?
Answer: Buying extremely valuable land for $2.00 that has an estimated value of $210,000.00 leads to suspicion. Please see the Belfountain Community Organization letter, dated April 7, 2021.
#10 Why has the Mayor not opened up the question-and-answer section of Erin’s wastewater treatment site for public viewing and concerns?
Answer: The Town of Erin, ON is the 2019 recipient of the Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy in the category of municipal government. The award is given annually by The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), Centre for Free Expression at Ryerson University (CFE), News Media Canada and Canadian Journalists for Free. See the article by clicking here.
Answer: No! The Coalition for the West Credit River have petitioned the Federal government to designate the planned facility for a Federal Impact Assessment. The government decision will be made by May 26, 2021. The Erin Citizen Action Committee is fighting to stop the sprawl of high density subdivisions in and around Erin and Hillsburgh.
Please see the following article from The Wellington Advertiser.
#2 Is the advertised taxpayers' trunk line cost of $15,000 – $18,000 per property correct? It seems very low.
Answer: No. This cost is for the trunk line and does not include homeowner connection costs. In addition, the actual estimate of the entire proposed area to be serviced has not been done. Many property owners have obtained connection cost estimates ranging from $18,000 to well over $50,000, depending upon their property frontage and distance from their home to the street. Some homes with a wider frontage and deeper setback could see a connection cost of approx. $90,000.00.
#3 How many new homes is the Town of Erin potentially planning for?
Answer: Originally, 500 new homes were planned but a sewage treatment plant allows that number to grow to 5,000 new dwellings. A full build-out in the next 10-20 years will more than triple the town's current population of 4,400 to over 13,000. Small town charm will be lost forever.
#4 Are there plans for road enhancements and recreational facilities for the potential growth of Erin and Hillsburgh?
Answer: Planning for additional schools, recreation facilities, fire stations and new equipment, local parks, shopping facilities and road enhancements should be in a Town Official Plan and readily available to the public. The Town of Erin has commissioned and been presented with such a plan, at this point unavailable to taxpayers. There is presently no plan for a bypass road to handle increased commercial and commuter traffic.
#5 Is there an alternative to dumping 7.2 million litres of effluent per day into the West Credit River, in an Environmentally Protected Area within the UNESCO Biosphere?
Answer: Alternatives to the proposed sewage treatment plant were not afforded full consideration. There are numerous environmentally sustainable options.
#6 Where does the Credit Valley Conservation Authority stand on protecting the West Credit River?
Answer: The CVCA's powers are limited by their board of directors and scientific inputs. A member of our town council sits on that board, as do many regional politicians. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, for the CVCA to meet their conservation mandates.
#7 Where does the Town of Caledon stand on this polluting of their section of the West Credit River?
Answer: The Town of Caledon is essentially mute on this topic. There was no consultation with any downstream stakeholders.
#8 Is it true that very large machinery recently destroyed sensitive wetlands of the West Credit River?
Answer: YES – please click here to see the drone footage. The Mayor stated that “the farmer did the damage” to the West Credit River tributaries and surrounding woodlands. Erin farmers are stewards of the land and know better. Further investigation has revealed that the damage was created by contractors sent by Solmar.
#9 Why has the Mayor not fulfilled his promise to provide adequate information regarding the $2.00 purchase of the land required for the sewage plant? Is this some kind of a “quid pro quo” deal (a favour for a favour)?
Answer: Buying extremely valuable land for $2.00 that has an estimated value of $210,000.00 leads to suspicion. Please see the Belfountain Community Organization letter, dated April 7, 2021.
#10 Why has the Mayor not opened up the question-and-answer section of Erin’s wastewater treatment site for public viewing and concerns?
Answer: The Town of Erin, ON is the 2019 recipient of the Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy in the category of municipal government. The award is given annually by The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), Centre for Free Expression at Ryerson University (CFE), News Media Canada and Canadian Journalists for Free. See the article by clicking here.