I attended the open house put on by the Thunder Bay City Planning Division last night (May 2nd) at the Waverly Resource Library.  There were many maps and displays showing the various aspects of the city plan.

I must admit I was very concerned about the map displaying green spaces.  I found it peculiar the map did not show Williams Bog as being a Provincially Significant Wetland.  When I asked the Planning Department why it was not shown as a PSW they said it was because the Provincially Policy Statement of 2005 where Williams Bog was identified did not apply because the plan had received prior approval.  However, the 2012 report presented to City Council on January 23, 2012 states..."all of the Plan's policies will be reviewed to ensure that they are in keeping with the PPS and reflect the policy direction set by the province."  If they are sincere in this statement, why would they not show the current status of Williams Bog which is a Provincially Significant Wetland!  How would clear evidence that the city was planning to expand into a PSW be viewed by the public in these open houses and workshops?  I would suggest this may be seen unfavorably by the citizens of Thunder Bay.

Maps provided by Lakehead Region Conservation Authority.  The red area is the Provincially Significant Wetland.  The area to the west of Highway 11-17 at the bottom of both maps is the Parkdale Subdivision.  The area to the east of Highway 11-17 is the Northwood Subdivision which used to be part of Williams Bog.  The map at the top of the page is dated April 2012, the lower map is from 2008.  The only change shown by the maps is an area near Reindeer Street which was formerly within the Provincially Significant Wetland, but now it is in the 120 Buffer Zone.

Here is the latest from the City of Thunder Bay Planning Department:


You are invited.  
The City of Thunder Bay Planning Division invites you to participate in an Official Plan Review Workshop.  The Official Plan is a policy document that provides guidance for land-use management and growth in our City. 


Topic: Infrastructure
Transportation, storm-water management, urban tree-planting, sidewalks, and natural areas are all considered infrastructure. This is your opportunity to provide input as to how the Official Plan addresses these. 


WHEN & WHERE?
May 16 @ Current River Rec. Centre
6:30 - 8:30 pm


INFRASTRUCTURE QUESTIONS WILL FOCUS ON:
What needs to be PROTECTED? How?
What needs to be IMPROVED? How?
What needs to be BUILT? How?
What is important to YOU?


HOW DO YOU SIGN-UP?
Contact Lorna Veal 
807.625.2704 or lveal@thunderbay.ca

As an ardent hiker and nature photographer, I have visited Williams Bog on many occasions.  We are fortunate to have such a vibrant jewel in the center of our city.  Only a fraction of Williams Bog remains and am concerned it may be in peril.

Williams Bog is located in the City of Thunder Bay at 48º 39’ latitude and 89º 32’ longitude and can be found on National Topographic Map - 52A/6 (Thunder Bay).  

Williams Bog is a Provincially Significant Wetland complex, made up of two individual wetlands, composed of three wetland types (14% fen, 85% swamp and 1% marsh), totaling 730.55 hectares in size.  

The rich biodiversity of Williams Bog includes  73 species of birds, 53 species of butterfly, 14 species of orchids and 5 insectivorous plants.

Williams Bog provides habitat for Cypripedium arietinum (Rams’s Head Lady’s Slipper) which  is rated S3 or provincially rare, the regionally rare Liparis loeselii (Bog Twayblade) along with many other uncommon species.

Changes in hydrology can have a negative impact on native orchids, and other wetland vegetation which provides habitat for birds, insects and amphibians.

The Provincial Policy Statement (2005) states in section:   2.2.1:

Planning authorities shall protect, improve or restore the quality and quantity of water by:

a) using the watershed as the ecologically meaningful scale for planning;

b) minimizing potential negative impacts….. 

The City of Thunder Bay is the planning authority of a new subdivision called Parkdale which is approaching  the southern limit of the designated Provincially Significant Wetland of Williams Bog.

Ongoing, large scale drainage activity using at least two large ditches and several culverts is occurring in Williams Bog.  The outflow from these ditches and culverts is currently being diverted from the Provincially Significant Wetland to the area adjacent and parallel to the west side of Highway 11-17.

The Thunder Bay Field Naturalists will Contact the City of Thunder Bay Planning Division and the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority and recommend the development of a stakeholder forum to discuss, investigate and develop strategies where necessary to prevent any negative impacts to the Provincially Significant Wetland in Williams Bog. This stakeholder committee should include representation from the City of Thunder Bay Planning Division and Engineering Department, the Ministry of Natural Resources, Lakehead Region Conservation Authority, the contractor(s) involved, Thunder Bay Field Naturalists, Lakehead University, citizens of the new Parkdale Subdivision and any other stakeholders deemed necessary to provide useful input. The ultimate goal is to determine the necessary best practices to effectively monitor and protect the rich biodiversity of Williams Bog.

  

Every effort should be made to ensure any proposed remedial action would not cause further deleterious effects to the Provincially Significant Wetland of Williams Bog.