Harmony Residents Group

Environmental Concerns Relating to Project Niagara

Our Current Understanding of the Facts

Description of Project Niagara proposed site:

The entire 250-acre site is owned by Parks Canada , which is part of the Department of
the Environment. This site is an important national historic site—it is not a national park.
The mandate of Parks Canada with respect to our natural, cultural and historical resources
is to:
 Protect and preserve
 Present
 Educate.
This applies to current and future generations.

The main significance of this site to Parks Canada is as a historical site, although
environmental preservation is also part of the Parks Canada mandate. During the War of
1812, the area approximately between One Mile Creek and Two Mile Creek and from
Lake Ontario to Lakeshore Road was the site of the Battle of Fort George (May 25–27,
1813). For the bicentennial celebrations of the war in 2012, Parks Canada will be creating
a battlefield memorial, possibly including an interpretive centre. As much of the
battlefield has now been built on (Chautauqua), the memorial site will likely use the
space between Shakespeare Avenue and Two Mile Creek (the area of the old rifle range).
[This area is also known as Area A]

The remainder of the site, which does not have specific historical significance, includes
Two Mile Creek, the current sewage lagoons [Area B], Three Mile Creek and a
waterfront Carolinian forest [Area C], Four Mile Creek and Four Mile Creek Pond,
including Niagara Shores Park [Area D].

The Perspective of Parks Canada

Parks Canada has stated that this site is too valuable an asset for Parks Canada to release
the land. Representations made to Parks Canada to sell the site (including those by the
Parks Canada Property Manager and Project Niagara) have been and will continue to be
turned down. Parks Canada believes that the agency can best protect the entire site by
retaining control of the land.

Project Niagara is now looking at leasing the land. Parks Canada insists on retaining
control of any development, and the agency must approve all Project Niagara plans and
designs. As a lessor, Project Niagara must meet Parks Canada national environmental
standards.

Environmental Impact Assessment

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No development can happen on this site until an environmental impact assessment (EIA)
has determined that the proposed development will not have a negative impact on the
environment. The EIA will involve Parks Canada, provincial organizations, and local
expertise. Much of the data required has been collected by the Department of National
Defence (DND) over the years. Any member of the public can access, and comment on,
any environmental assessment that is in progress on the Parks Canada Web site, under
Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency. The EIA is expected to take
approximately 18 months. Maintaining ecological integrity is an important concept when
performing an EIA. In principle, ecological integrity refers to limiting the amount of
change to the ecology of the area under consideration; to ensuring a healthy ecosystem
and to determining what is best for the habitat.

Provincial Considerations

The entire Parks Canada site is listed as a provincial environmental conservation (EC)
area, which provides regulations for new development; for additions to existing
development and setbacks from listed natural features; for permitted uses within the area
and adjacent to the area, along with number of regulations, including minimum setbacks;
and for an environmental impact study (EIS) to determine the impact of proposed
development on the feature. The area is part of the natural heritage system.

All areas around streams and bodies of water are regulated by the Niagara Peninsula
Conservation Authority (NPCA). The entire shoreline, areas around Two Mile Creek,
Three Mile Creek and Four Mile Creek, Four Mile Creek Pond and the surrounding
wetlands [also referred to as Two Mile–Four Mile Creek Plain] are designated as an area
of natural and scientific interest (ANSI). An ANSI is an area of land and water containing
natural landscapes or features that have been identified as having life science or earth
science values related to protection, scientific study or education. Permitted land uses are
conservation management activities and uses, including erosion control.

Environmental Considerations

The rural land in the Niagara Peninsula is one of the most heavily deforested parts of the
province—Niagara-on-the-Lake has only 2% forest cover. The Lake Ontario plain forests
are a rare type of ecosystem, and the Carolinian forest on this site is home to endangered
plant species, such as the White Wood Aster. This forest is also the only remaining
example of a Carolinian forest on the shores of the Great Lakes.

The entire site is also an established habitat for a large variety of wildlife, including
numerous bird and animal species.

 Four Mile Creek Pond has abundant food and a secluded site, sustaining an
abundance of wildlife, including a heron rookery.
 Four Mile Creek on the west side of the property is identified as a Type 1 fish habitat
[type 1 is an excellent-quality habitat].

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 Two Mile Creek which flows through the property is identified as a Type 1 fish
habitat while the un-named tributary which also flows through the property is
identified as a Type 2 fish habitat [type 2 habitat requires improvement, but can still
be rehabilitated].
 Four Mile Creek Estuary located on the west side of the site is a Provincially
Significant Wetland.
 The site is home to deer, wild turkeys, foxes, coyotes and numerous other animals.
Areas within and close to the site are identified as woodlot and deer wintering habitat.
 The shoreline of Lake Ontario adjacent to the site is identified as a waterfowl
wintering area and a walleye spawning area. It is also home to a colony of bank
swallows.
 Substantial erosion has occurred along the beach. This problem has continued for
decades and needs to be addressed, as a vegetation survey in 1977 estimated that
shoreline was being lost at an annual rate of between 1 and 2 feet.
 The abundance of fruit-bearing shrubs on the site supports a large variety of bird
species.
 The diversity of flora and fauna around Four Mile Creek Pond and the surrounding
wetlands and woodlots make this area a unique site that should be set aside as a
wildlife preserve.
 The overall habitat would benefit from reforesting the plains between the two main
woodlot areas.
 After the sewage lagoons are decommissioned, rehabilitation could involve
construction of additional wetlands, thus extending the wildfowl habitat.

Our Analysis

The site of the proposed music festival contains many precious natural resources that
would be threatened or negatively affected by development, noise, and concentrated
human traffic. Other areas within the site require rehabilitation.

Parks Canada has a mandate to preserve and protect important sites, but it also has a
mandate to present these sites to the public, a process that can involve limited
development. In addition, Parks Canada projects need to generate income for the agency.
As a result, some development may be attractive to the government, especially if the
development can generate revenue for Parks Canada.

It is also important to remember that Parks Canada is the agency that makes the decision
about how this land is used. Although the current thinking is that this site is too valuable
to sell, cash-strapped government agencies are often forced to cut programs that appear to
be at the heart of their mandate. As a result, it is conceivable that Parks Canada may
eventually sell this site or allow development, strictly for financial reasons.

Our Position

Locating the proposed music festival on this site has the potential to threaten these
precious natural resources. It would also eliminate the possibility of ecological

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restoration, forest enhancement and development of the sewage lagoons into wetland or
marsh areas. Approval of Project Niagara for this site would also preclude opening this
site to the residents as parkland.

Public pressure to preserve and protect the site are important factors that can influence
current and future decisions about the use of this site. Even if Project Niagara does not
move forward on this site, other individuals and groups will most likely continue to
pressure Parks Canada to sell the site and/or allow a variety of developments. The
Harmony Residents Group believes:
 this site must be preserved for the sake of the unique resources and the flora and
fauna found here
 an alternative and environmentally sound vision for the site must be created
 a foundation or trust needs to be established to preserve this site in perpetuity.

Sources of Information

 Parks Canada
 Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
 Natural Heritage Information Centre
 Niagara-on-the-Lake Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw, September, 2007

Remaining Questions

The specific impacts of a development such as Project Niagara have yet to be determined,
including the following:
 Impact on the habitat of construction (two amphitheatres, a restaurant, a VIP café, a
concession area, event space and kitchen areas, a gift shop and wine store, picnic
areas and paths, washrooms to serve 10,000 people, administration and maintenance
areas)
 Impact of paving parking lots for 2000 cars (approximately 20 acres) on water flow
and streams
 Impact on wildlife and on plant life of heavy human traffic around the amphitheatre
and on proposed footpaths through the site
 Impact of noise on the wildlife, including nesting birds
 Impact on the habitat of automobile exhaust on the parking site and from increased
traffic on Lakeshore Road.

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Appendix 1. Species at Risk which are either upon or within a 2-kilometer radius of the site.
Common Name Provincial/Sub MNR Rank COSEWIC Date Accuracy
national Rank
(S1,S2,or S3)
Flowering Dogwood S2 - - 2006 10m
Wild Bean S3 - - 2006 -
Butternut S3? END-NR END 2003 -
Bushy Cinquefoil S3 - - 1995 1000m
Walter’s Barnyard S3 - - 1995 1000m
Grass
Black Cohoch S2 - - Historical 1000m
Deerberry S1 THR THR Historical 1000m
Hirsute Sedge S3 - - Historical 10km
White Wood Aster S2 THR THR 2003 -
Shumard Oak S3 SC SC Historical 100m
Black Gum S3 - - 2006 -
Pin Oak S3 - - 1995 1000m
Sweet Pignut Hickory S3 - - 2003 1000m
Tufted Titmouse S2S3 - - 1991 100m
Sedge S2 - - 2006 -
Broad Beach Fern S3 SC SC Historical -
Deerberry S1 THR THR Historical -
Swamp Rose-mallow S3 SC SC Historical -
Southern Slender S1 - - Historical 10Km
Ladies-tresses
Windflower S3 - - - -
*Where the last observation date is more than 20 years old the date is indicated as being
historical.

S RANKS (Subnational, assigned by NHIC for Ontario)

S1 = critically imperilled (extremely rare) - usually 1 to 5 extant occurrences [TRACKED]

S2 = imperilled (very rare) - usually 6 to 20 extant occurrences [TRACKED]
S3 = vulnerable (rare to uncommon) - 21 to 100 extant occurrences [usually TRACKED]
S4 = apparently secure (uncommon) - >100 extant occurrences [usually NOT TRACKED]
S5 = secure (very common to abundant) - >100 extant occurrences [usually NOT TRACKED]
SH = historic, no records in past 20 years

• SX = apparently extirpated from Ontario

• SNR = not ranked yet
• SU = unrankable/insufficient information
• SNA = conservation status rank not applicable because the species is not a suitable target for
conservation activities (an amalgamation of old ranks including SE, SA, SR, SRF)

END: endangered
THR: threatened
NR: not regulated by Endangered Species Act
SC: special concern

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