Submitting your comments to the Riel Community Committee is easy:
- Go to the submission link: https://legacy.winnipeg.ca/shared/mailforms/clerks/public-hearing/contact.asp
- Enter the required information.
- Enter your comments in the box provided.
- You are in opposition to public hearing item: (DASZ 9/2024 and DAV 129079/2024D) Subdivision and Rezoning – 823 Lemay Avenue and Land Located Between 35 de la Digue Avenue and 100 Villa Maria Place
- If you’re not sure what to say, we’ve provided a list of concerns below.
- You can also view the submissions for previous meetings here: https://clkapps.winnipeg.ca/DMIS/ViewDoc.asp?DocId=24378&SectionId=&InitUrl=
- You are in opposition to public hearing item: (DASZ 9/2024 and DAV 129079/2024D) Subdivision and Rezoning – 823 Lemay Avenue and Land Located Between 35 de la Digue Avenue and 100 Villa Maria Place
Simply registering in OPPOSITION without any comments is also helpful!!
Here are open source points you can use in your submissions:
* The Lemay Forest is a high quality ecologically significant grade A-B river bottom forest, wetland and grassland habitat that supports biodiversity, watershed health and provides an ecological corridor for safe access and the movement of species.
* Preserving the Lemay Forest aligns with the goals in the 20-year Urban Forest Strategy and Winnipeg’s Climate Action Plan, which includes increasing Winnipeg’s urban canopy from 17% to 24% by 2065, which translates to planting 17,000 trees per year.
* Manitoba’s commitment to save 30% land and water by 2030. Every parcel of forest adds up.
* Winnipeg has signed the Montreal Pledge to commit to 15 concrete actions for Biodiversity: Item 3 – Conserve existing natural environments through protected areas and other effective and equitable measures, Item 9 – Contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation measures through ecosystem-based approaches, Item 11 – Prioritize nature-based solutions to protect against extreme weather events and hazards and to regulate air and water quality, Item 12 – Increase the amount of green and blue spaces and improve equitable access to them.
* City of Winnipeg’s 1 million tree challenge vs. approving destroying 9-14000 mature trees.
* Mature forests help absorb and mitigate excess water from more severe rain events caused by climate change in the low area of Lemay where pumping stations cannot keep pace.
* Physicians for the Environment advocate that mature forests and green space have enormous physical and mental health benefits.
* Mature trees increase property values.
* The Lemay Forest is contiguous with the city-owned Red River riparian forests.
* Lemay Forest is a nesting place for migratory birds, resident birds, birds of prey and the keystone species pileated woodpecker.
* Lemay Forest has the first recorded nesting site of the Red-Bellied Woodpecker in Manitoba. This nest was discovered in May 2018, and the bird, rare for Manitoba, has been coming back every year since (Bird Atlas MB).
* Winnipeg is already engaging in costly restoration of parking lots due to degradation of green space and urban trees.
* Winnipeg is below-average for greenspace compared to other Canadian cities – Stats Canada.
* Loss of trees and impermeable surfaces are also causing sewer capacity restraints.
* The forest reduces/absorbs spring runoff, thereby helping to prevent basement flooding.
* Nature-based solutions such as protecting and expanding urban canopy and green space help to manage the effects of the climate crisis.
* City of Winnipeg has a poor track record for protecting riverside land.
* City of Winnipeg is in the process of creating the Master Greenspace and Natural Corridors Plan and Biodiversity Policy including acquisition of 1000 additional acres of park land.
* Winnipeg needs more green space and tree canopy to alleviate the urban heat island effect, especially in high density areas.
* Urban forests must be viewed as green infrastructure.
* Winnipeg lost more trees than it planted between 2013 and 2020, leading to a deficit of approximately 14,500 trees in that timeframe. Planting 1 new tree for every one lost by the city will not make up for that deficit.
* Any effort to preserve forests and greenspace is an investment in the future.