Letter: Freeze all future developments on our lakes

As a lifetime citizen of Sudbury, I commend Coun. (Joscelyne) Landry-Altmann for speaking against the Ramsey housing project, although she voted for it.

I quote, ”Imagine if you will, that all 330 lakes around Sudbury were polluted; imagine the cost of having to find alternative sources of drinking water,” she began. “Imagine sitting on your dock, and the water is undrinkable and unswimmable. Well we’re there. Blue-green algae has been identified in Whitson Lake and on MacFarlane Lake. In the past, it’s been on Ramsey Lake, as well.”

I am horrified that the planning committee has approved Mr. Eady’s subdivision of 54 single-family homes and 93 condos on the shores of Ramsey Lake, one of our major source of drinking water.

Is there a conflict of interest involved? Should councillors who are in the real estate business be on the planning committee? Is this not a conflict of interest?

Where is the transparency our new council has been so vocal about?

Over the past 50 years, we have observed the greening of the Sudbury area — not by land-grabbing developers, but by ordinary citizens who worked hard to turn the black hills of our community into rolling green hills envied by many visitors to our area.

We boast of 330 lakes in our great city, and at the same time, allow developers to ravage much of the shorelines of our pristine lakes.

We have also witnessed council approve development that, in some situations, was detrimental to the environment we live in.

The carnage appearing on the beaches of many of the lakes in our community are examples of failing to plan for our children and grandchildren to enjoy.
The time has arrived where we must focus ahead and plan for the future.

We must safeguard our lakes and prioritize their protection. All developments on all our city lakes should be frozen.

We definitely require a green plan to maintain in perpetuity what green spaces we have remaining for the next generation.

City council should propose hiring a full-time manager to oversee the future of all 330 lakes in the boundaries of the city, with authority to veto the planning committee on any new subdivisions to be developed on our waterways.

As a citizen of this community, I question the conflict of interest existing in our planning committee and recommend that council not approve this development on our major lake in our great city.

Tony Sottile
Greater Sudbury