Natural Asset Inventory and Natural Heritage Study

The Natural Asset Inventory will create an inventory of natural assets across the Town of the Blue Mountains. A natural asset inventory includes natural features that provide an ecological benefit to the Town, such as forests, tree canopy cover, wetlands, watercourses, and other naturally vegetated areas. These features provide a series of services that are vital to citizen health, including water and carbon storage, water quality improvement, microclimate regulation and urban heat island effect mitigation. The Town’s Asset Management Plan (AMP) does not yet include natural infrastructure assets, and a natural assets inventory is first needed to identify natural infrastructure assets and assess them for climate vulnerabilities and quality as infrastructure assets. This work directly supports Bold Action 5 of the Community Sustainability Plan.

The Natural Heritage Study will provide recommendations for natural heritage targets and criteria for identifying features of importance to the Town’s biodiversity and sustainable landscape planning, and policies, tools, requirements and standards that ensure appropriate management for the Town’s natural environment in the long-term. The natural heritage study will be informed by the Natural Asset Inventory, review of existing policies and practices, best practices in natural environment management, and policy-based requirements and opportunities to support the Town’s vision and objectives for the natural environment. This work will support Bold Actions 5 and 6 of the Community Sustainability Plan.

Climate change and biodiversity are increasingly important issues at local and international scales. Understanding our natural assets and taking steps to ensure they are identified and that our policies and practices support their protection and appropriate management are critical steps toward creating sustainable communities. 

This work also supports the Community Sustainability Plan ‘Bold Actions,’ demonstrating the Town’s commitment and effort to implement the plan.

November 7, 2023 – PDS.23.116

• Staff Report PDS.23.116 was presented at the Committee of the Whole meeting on November 7, 2023. This report was presented for information purposes and offered an overview of the scope of the Natural Asset Inventory and Natural Heritage Study project. The report noted that the project includes data gathering, research, and public engagement components and is scheduled to take place over the next several months, with a completion date targeted for spring 2024. 

  The Committee voted 5-0 in favour of receiving the report for information and directing staff to investigate whether the new Natural Asset Management Roadmap Program (Natural Asset Initiative and Intact Public Entities Program) would supplement the Natural Asset Management already in progress. This decision was ratified at the November 20, 2023 Council Meeting. 

  The presentation begins at the 3:31:56 mark of the meeting recording. 

  View the Committee Meeting Recording

August 27, 2024 - PDS.24.067

• Staff Report PDS.24.067 was presented at the Committee of the Whole meeting on August 27, 2024. This report addressed the contents of the consultants’ report and recommended using the consultants’ report as the basis for advancing the implementation of natural asset management planning, natural heritage, and environmental initiatives. The report also recommended that staff receive Council direction to support the development of an Ecological Offsetting Policy at the County of Grey and to advance measures related to net gain, offsetting, Official Plan updates, and existing policy guidelines to support the study's recommendations. The committee voted 6-0 in favour of these recommendations, which were formally approved by Council during the September 9, 2024, Council Meeting. 

  The presentation begins at the 3:35:00 mark of the meeting recording. 

  View the Committee Meeting Recording

Open House #1 - Natural Environment Data & Preliminary Directions
January 25, 2024 | 5-7pm | Town Hall & Virtual via Microsoft Teams

This session illustrated the natural environment data being used and discussed preliminary directions, approaches and next steps. The video presentation and panels provided to attendees are available below. 

Video Presentation      NHS Panels     NAIPanels

April 11, 2024
5-7pm
Town Hall & Virtual via Microsoft Teams
Click here to register.

This open house presented and sought feedback on draft project outcomes and recommendations. Information presented included:

• Results of the natural asset inventory including an assessment of vulnerability and risk, service valuation, and asset prioritization
• Draft targets and criteria for significant natural heritage features
• Recommendations for natural heritage management, including policy recommendations, and the development of standards and guidelines.

Engagement feedback is being used to reflect upon the draft recommendations, make refinements where appropriate, and inform the finalization of the natural asset inventory and the natural heritage study.

Supporting Material

Comments and questions can be submitted by email through the Contact Form. Comments will be provided to Town staff and the project consultants for review and will be taken into consideration, as appropriate through the project. Where appropriate, some comments may be addressed through FAQs added to this page.

Comments and questions can be submitted by email through the Contact Form. Comments will be provided to Town staff and the project consultants for review and will be taken into consideration, as appropriate through the project. Where appropriate, some comments may be addressed through FAQs added to this page.

Natural assets are being mapped across the Town of The Blue Mountains. This includes private and public lands. It is necessary to map natural assets consistently across the landscape to understand how much of each asset there is and where it occurs, to inform sustainable asset management and planning.

The Natural Asset Inventory will produce an inventory and map the location of natural heritage features on the landscape. The Natural Heritage Study will make recommendations for future policies, standards of practice, and guidelines to support appropriate protection and management of the natural environment.

This project does not include the adoption and putting into force new policies, guidelines, or standards. This project will provide recommended directions for updates to existing and new policies, guidelines, and standards. Further work and engagement will occur to develop and adopt new policies and practices in the future from the work completed in this project.

No. Nothing within this project is intended to limit the ability of agricultural uses to continue. Existing agricultural uses and practices will not be affected. New agricultural buildings, activities and on-farm diversified uses will continue to be supported in accordance with applicable policies. Please also refer to the preceding FAQ about land use(s) and land use planning.

If you have questions or concerns about current and future agricultural use(s) and this project, please submit these to the Town through the Contact Form. Comments received will be taken into consideration throughout the project. Where appropriate FAQs and/or other methods will be used to address questions received.

There is no impact to existing permitted uses on your property. While there are no changes to policy that will occur through this project. Recommendations from the study will help inform future land use planning policies and practices in the Town of The Blue Mountains. Please also refer to the preceding FAQ about land use(s) and land use planning.

Identifying, protecting and wise management of our natural environment will not negatively impact the ability of the Town to provide growth and housing in the long-term. Good land use planning balances many important elements such as transportation, utilities & services, employment, housing, health & wellbeing, and the natural environment. Land use planning must include protection of natural heritage resources as part of planning for growth and housing. Work from this project will guide and inform where and how we should plan for growth and ensure that growth is undertaken with sustainability of our natural environment being considered. Greater clarity in objectives and process will help create opportunities for more efficient review of development proposals.

No. Preparation of detailed plans such as a parks master plan or management plan for natural aera(s) are beyond the scope of the current project. However, the outcomes of this project will provide recommendations and guidance that will help inform more detailed plans.