Frequently Asked Questions
What's the issue in the area?
The Town was informed by the developer that arsenic was found in the soil during testing before building homes. This land was an apple orchard over 50 years ago, and the pesticides used at the time contained arsenic. As a result of pesticide use over time, low levels of arsenic built up in the surface soils within the area.
The residential area was cleaned to safe levels prior to construction, but the wooded areas still have a low level of residual arsenic in the soil in some places. A plan was developed in consultation with the MECP to restrict access to these areas to prevent contact with contaminated soil.
Can you clarify the areas associated?
Environmentally Sensitive Wooded Area: Dense forest areas requiring restricted access.
Clean Subdivision Lands: Cleared lands, buffer around residential homes, approved areas where the homes are, and around William Dunn Crescent where the new trail and a parkette will be installed.
Why can't we walk through the wooded areas anymore?
Some soil in the wooded areas has residual arsenic contamination from historic use of pesticides when the area was a farm orchard back in the 1950’s. The soil in the William Dunn subdivision area was cleaned during construction of the homes, with the lands being removed and replaced, as noted in Photo 1 below.
Fully cleaning the wooded area south of the subdivision would have required removing most of the trees, which wasn't deemed desirable based on community feedback at the Public Information Centre (PIC) the Town hosted many years ago. Therefore, significant efforts were made to remediate the affected areas, including soil cleaning, hot spot treatments, risk assessments, and the implementation of risk management plans. It was also decided that usage restrictions would allow the forest to be kept intact, while meeting a high level of safety out of an abundance of caution.
Recently, Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) found that use of the wooded area did not meet the requirements laid out in the Certificate of Property Use (CPU) . The Town retained an environmental consultant and began working to review the CPU and select appropriate compliance measures. As a result of this work, and in consultation with the MECP, the Town will be installing a fence and signage. These additional measures will restrict access to the environmentally sensitive wooded area south of the subdivision, to ensure compliance with Provincial Regulations. Signage will also be installed in other areas of the CPU lands.
Why are you only installing a fence south of William Dunn?
The Town conducted an onsite assessment and found that the most consistent use of the wooded areas by the public was in the area south of William Dunn, as seen by footpaths, handmade wooden bridges across streams, wooden structures, etc.). The other wooded areas of the CPU did not show signs of significant/prolonged use. Additionally, the wooded area north of William Dunn is very dense, making it difficult for the public to access. Therefore, the northern areas was deemed only to require signage to restrict use as required by MECP.
Why wasn’t fencing and signage installed previously?
Significant communication efforts were provided previously to the community to stay out of the CPU lands; however, use of the lands has been observed recently. Therefore, fencing and signage are now a requirement through the updated CPU, and will be implemented to establish a clear boundary for these lands.
Will this affect my property value?
It is not anticipated that property values will be impacted. The Town is improving the area by adding walking trails and a parkette, making it more attractive to potential homebuyers.
Views of the forest will be maintained.