Support offered for proposed development

Letter to council from Imperial Oil describes Haldimand County’s process as ‘effective’

Industrial landowner Imperial Oil has expressed its support for Haldimand County’s plan to redesignate provincially protected industrial lands near its Nanticoke refinery to allow Empire Communities to develop a residential community that could double the county’s population.

“Imperial is supportive of responsible development toward the long-term economic health of the county and the province of Ontario,” read Mayor Ken

Hewitt from a letter sent by the company to council on March 7.

Developer Empire Communities has purchased 17 parcels of industrial land surrounding Stelco’s Lake Erie Works and has proposed building 15,000 homes on the site. The area would also include a school and create up to 11,000 jobs.

The letter also called the county’s official planning amendment process, which had been criticized by Stelco, as “an effective way to provide stakeholders with the opportunity to provide feedback on a proposed change of land use for a large development with broad impacts on the neighbouring communities.”

“We look forward to being directly consulted in this process going forward, and working together to ensure that any future development is compatible with the ongoing operation of the refinery,” the letter said.

Hewitt said the letter was copied to MPP Toby Barrett and Steve Clark, minister for municipal affairs and housing.

“I wanted the public to know and those at large to know that we are and have been communicating with and will continue to communicate and work with those stakeholders in the area as we move forward through that process, and I find that letter as a welcoming letter for positive opportunity to work together,” he said.

However, not every landowner in the area knew of the plan, brokering mixed reactions.

“A change of zoning to residential of these lands will have a negative impact to Stelco and its future operations,” said Trevor Harris, Stelco’s vice-president for corporate affairs at the March 1 committee meeting. He had received an apology from the county, whose officials said they would step up communications.

The county expects to hear from the province within the next several weeks regarding whether such a change of land use designation would be possible. If it is, that’s when the real work would begin with a public consultation process, said Hewitt. “We are a long way from seeing this to the finish line; however, we’re starting the process,” he said. “We don’t know where it’ll land, but we’re starting a process, and that’s what we’re here to do.”