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Carl Cosack’s County Tree Presentation

Your Worship, Councillors,

Thank you for you attention

My name is Carl Cosack, I have been a proud Dufferin County resident since 1975 and have lived the entire time in Mulmur at 638135 Prince of Wales Rd.

I am here as a member of NDACT!

The purpose of this delegation is to stress our concern with the practices of this County’s largest Agricultural Business, The Highland Companies. With ownership of a ‘non renewable resource,’ the special soil that currently helps to produce potatoes, rhubarb, peas, strawberries, Canola and other grain and vegetable crops, comes the responsibility for the Highland Companies to engage in sustainable practices, not just for their own success, but also to not damage that operations of their neighbours, and to enhance that quality of life for all those around them.

Over the past couple of years we all have been inundated with self promoting ‘news releases’ and professionally done ‘DVD’s’ to let us all know how the Highland Companies want to be a world class potato operation, serving an ever increasing urban Toronto Market. Their actions on the ground however belie their fancy rhetoric and their public image to which their marketing is geared. Their actions on the ground are in stark conflict with what they want the public and local politicians to believe about them.

The lands they now own, and are stewards of, were formally owned by the Wilson’s, Downey’s, Wallace’s, Elgie’s, Speer’s and others. Those families knew the value of fence rows and tree lines to trap moisture and control wind erosion. They maintained woodlots for habitat and as a resource. Those families knew that tree lines and other plantings are practices long held dear in the equally flat Prairie Provinces.

Many of the trees now being removed were planted by those families, who knew the history of this area, that it was the right thing to do. They did it to help reduce ‘dust bowl’ conditions, to reduce snow drifting, and thus improve winter driving conditions for everyone. Under the Stewardship of Mr. Lowndes and the Highland Companies fence row upon fence rows have been removed during the last two years, all in the name of ‘world class’ and ‘best practices,’ and under the disguise of agricultural necessity. The former owners operated the same size of equipment as the Highland Companies and Mr. Lowndes does now. There are no efficiencies of scale to be gained by doing this.

Mr. Lowndes claims that he wants the Highland Company to be a world class agricultural operation.

His actions on the ground clearly do not demonstrate that.

He has cut more than 2000 trees and continues to do so unabated.

This Monday past another 250 were shredded at Lot 8 Concession 5 Melanchton

At 20th side road east of 124 two more forests are being decimated from the inside out as we speak

Clear cutting a swath and areas at Lot 19 and 20 Concession 3 OS Melanchton, no permit was issued for systemic tree removal

Swaths are cut at W1/2 Lot 21 Concession 1 OS Melanchton. No permits were issued.

Tree removal on W ½ Lot 23 Concession 1 OS. No permits issued.

Site alterations and tree removal mid Lot 20 Concession 1 OS. No permits Issued.

The list goes on.

Their destruction of homes and outbuildings has lessened assessment.

By removing residences they are depopulating the rural landscape.

The dumping of residential waste has cost Melanchton rate payers about two years of life at their waste disposal site.

Soil erosion from their ‘best practices’ has already cost the county dollars, dollars spent attending and repairing ditch and culvert damage at Catherine Russell’s residence.

Deemed ‘compliant’ by the County does not cover the fact that the Highland Company is continually working in the ‘Grey Zone’ between ‘White and Black’ or ‘Right and Wrong.’ They can afford to have representatives of various professions attend almost all public meetings, so we know that it is not a lack of funds to research By-Laws and agronomic best practices, but rather a management choice to operate that way. I submit that that attitude should put us all on notice when dealing with the representatives of the Highland Companies.

NDACT requests that Council enter into the following actions:

That the Forestry By-Law is fully enforced.

That a ‘STOP WORK’ order, with regards to fence row removal, site alteration, and tree cutting and removal, is issued immediately.

That any applications or requests for permits, made by the Highland Companies, or their representatives, be published on the County Website for public awareness and input.

It is ridiculous that ratepayers are asked to go through the “Freedom of Information” process to learn about things. Once anyone files and application or request for a permit with a public institution, that filing should be public knowledge and be freely accessible.

NDACT further requests that the County instructs the Highland Companies to replant the trees that have been removed without a permit. And, that that will be done this growing season. If Highland Companies do not comply, that the County plant such trees and add the cost of doing so to the property tax bill, much like the “Noxious Weed Act” allows costs to be recovered. We further request that the removed fence rows be replanted with coniferous trees to slow down wind, control soil erosion, and reduce snow drifting.

Owning a huge part of the ‘Roof of Ontario’ puts the Highland Companies in a different category of stewardship and agronomic and public responsibility. We all know what happens to a house foundation when the roof leaks. It might take a while but the foundation is sure to rot. Their current conduct is approaching not to be as damaging as a leak but as damaging as the tornado of May 1985.

It is Council’s responsibility to look out for all the ratepayers of this community. You have to act to protect the foundations of this county, a foundation that was built by agriculture and its supportive industries and services. You have to request and insist that the Highland Companies rhetoric and glitzy self promotion is backed by action and their conduct on the ground.

I urge you not to keep referring these matters, which have now been discussed for four moths and started with phone calls as early as March 2008, back to committee and to nowhere.

I urge you to take a new ‘cautious’ attitude when dealing with John Lowndes and the Highland Companies not only here at County Council, but also as elected officials at our lower tier municipalities. How you approach the future will define our future and certainly will become your legacy as we are going to face a tremendous challenge to our historic values.

I urge you to take responsibility for our “roof”, to act now, to stop its destruction.

Thank you for doing your due diligence as elected representatives and for your prompt attention to these concerns and our calls for action.  

North Dufferin Agricultural and Community Taskforce (NDACT)

Honeywood, Ontario

NEWS RELEASE

Highland Companies Contravenes County of Dufferin Tree Cutting Bylaw

NDACT invests time and money to prove violation

June 9, 2009 – For Immediate Release

The North Dufferin Agricultural and Community Task Force (NDACT) has found The Highland Companies in violation of the County of Dufferin’s tree cutting bylaw in eight specific instances.

The bylaw violations were proven following extensive investigation undertaken and funded solely by NDACT.

The Highland Companies has amassed landholdings in Melancthon and Mulmur Townships, in the County of Dufferin of over 6,000 acres of prime agricultural land.  Evidence of significant core sampling, well testing, tree cutting, archaeological and other studies that are being conducted on the lands are consistent with pre-testing for aggregate/limestone extraction. 

“NDACT hired a subject matter expert, took aerial photos, made a Freedom of Information Request to the County for permit information, prepared a briefing package of over 140 pages, and made two presentations to the County to prove this information,” said NDACT Chair, Dale Rutledge.

“We were quite certain by what our findings indicated and we are satisfied that at the June 4, 2009 meeting of the Dufferin County Museum Board, there was total consensus that Highlands had contravened the bylaw,” said Rutledge.

Penalties associated with a tree bylaw violation include a fine of not more than $10,000 or $1,000 per tree -- whichever is greater on a first offence -- and on any subsequent conviction to a fine of not more than $25,000 or $2,500.00 per tree, whichever is greater.

“NDACT exists to protect our farmland and water from destruction. We remain committed to ensuring that The Highland Companies are penalized for any and all current and future bylaw violations.  We believe that a fine is necessary to deter Highlands and any other bylaw violator from undertaking such action again in future,” adds Rutledge.

NDACT is a community-driven organization representing the hundreds of people who live in North Dufferin County including Melancthon and Mulmur Townships. The primary concerns of NDACT are loss of non-renewable prime agricultural land, deforestation, impact on water, environment, wildlife and wetlands.  Their motto is: Preserve our Farmland.

More Information:

Dale Rutledge, Chair   info@ndact.com

Carl Cosack, NDACT Board Member, 519-925-6628

The Value of Fence Rows

One of the greatest threats to wildlife populations is habitat fragmentation. Increasing

human populations and the need for both agricultural and urban development is quickly

destroying essential wildlife habitat. Wildlife corridors provide a balance between increasing

human populations and the need to preserve and improve existing wildlife habitat while

creating new habitat where it will most benefit wildlife populations. Corridors help increase

survival for many species by; increasing food sources, providing valuable cover, decreasing

the chance of predation, and by reconnecting fragmented and isolated populations.

Wildlife corridors are defined as narrow strips of land that differs, usually in terms of

dominant vegetation, from the surrounding area. They serve as traveling avenues for wildlife

species between two similar yet fragmented habitat areas, and provide important sources of

food and cover for many species. Depending on the specific management goals, corridors can

be developed in a variety of ways including; natural revegetation, establishment of tree, shrub,

and/or herbaceous cover, fence row establishment through a plowed field, or establishing a

buffer along streams or roadsides. The main purpose in establishing a corridor is to connect

two areas of habitat while also providing a variety of food and shelter. The habitat types being

connected may include grasslands, wetlands, woods or old fields.

Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife