Port Perry development will ‘devastate’ Lake Scugog wetlands – Scugog Island First Nation

A 600-unit development on the shores of Lake Scugog will “devastate” the area’s wetlands and threaten the overall health of the lake, declared the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation in an open letter to Scugog Council.

The Township approved the Avenu development December 23 and will consider supporting a Ministerial Zoning Order (MZO) this month, with the final voted on the downtown Port Perry development expected September 23.

“This project comes with a lengthy list of environmental concerns, including impacts on the wetland and lake ecosystems. If approved, this development will compromise the wetland’s’ ability to provide crucial ecosystem functions like clean water, flood prevention, and critical habitat for a wide range of species,” said MSIFN Chief Kelly LaRocca in the letter. “We strongly believe this is the wrong location for this project. Protecting the wetlands and watersheds of Lake Scugog is critical – we cannot allow these ecosystems to be compromised. Every alternative must be considered, in lieu of developing over wetlands.”

LaRocca cited the battle to save Duffins Creek from a massive Amazon warehouse in 2021 as a reason she and her band are sceptical of the MZO process, noting that public pressure was key in encouraging Pickering Council to say no to the fast-track zoning demand.

“The Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation’s recent experience with an MZO … didn’t give our community much confidence in the process,” she said in the letter. “Now, another developer, Avenu Properties, is proposing to use an MZO to fast-track a housing development on a significant wetland located along the shores of Lake Scugog.”

The lack of consultation with First Nation communities – a requirement under the Williams Treaty – is especially alarming, La Rocca added.

“We are disappointed in the lack of meaningful consultation and engagement, by both Avenu Properties and the Township of Scugog with our community. Avenu has refused to fund a third-party review of its proposal and key documents were shared with us only days before an important town council meeting, leaving us with no time to adequately prepare.”

MSIFN Chief Kelly LaRocca

Many in the community shares LaRocca’s concerns, including environmentalist group Scugog Lake Stewards, who believe the development is “cause for concern” about potential impacts on the health of Lake Scugog, which is a shallow, marshy body of water prone to rapid ecological changes.

Ontario Tech University Professor of Environmental Biology Andrea Kirkwood agreed, calling Lake Scugog “a stressed ecosystem.”

“Over the last few decades, urban development has disproportionately impacted water quality in the lake relative to agriculture, which is the dominant land-use in the watershed,” she said. “Urban development at the scale proposed by Avenu properties would only exacerbate the negative effects of urban development on lake health.”

Scugog Island First Nation has been active on social media in recent weeks in the hope Scugog Council and the developer can find a workable solution to a development that “makes no sense.”

“Now is the time for the developer and the municipality to sit down and meaningfully consult with us on this proposal, for the sake of the wetland, the lake and our relationship.”

LaRocca, who said the First Nation is still waiting to hear the developer’s ideas on handling the sewage produced by 600 residential units, said the main threat to the wetlands that remain in Ontario is the conversion of land for development.

“If this development is approved, the wetlands which directly flow into Lake Scugog will be severely harmed, putting the overall health of our lake at risk. Additionally, the development itself, which includes a road, hundreds of parking spots and other paved surfaces, will increase polluted surface- and road run-off, threatening critical fish species habitat.”

These reasons alone should be enough to stop this development, she added. “But the way Avenu Properties went about its application and consultation processes, or lack thereof, has been alarming.”

“Moving forward with a MZO for a developer who intends to destroy an important wetland, sends the message there is no respect for treaty rights. Actions of reconciliation require more of us.”

With files from Liam McConnell