ou'd
rather not have that nuclear waste reprocessing plant across your back
yard fence? Too bad! If you are a rural resident of New Brunswick,
with few exceptions, you have no power and your only recourse to
prevent it is the minister responsible for local government…and he
or she has unlimited discretion to act as he or she sees fit!
New Brunswick is the only
province or state in North America that has no responsible elected
local government for citizens living outside of recognized municipal
boundaries. As a result, there is very little that a citizen can do to
influence regional and local planning decisions.
The Metz Farms
controversy in Sainte-Marie-de-Kent brought this gap in representation
into sharp focus. In spite of overwhelming opposition from local
citizens, the hog factory project went ahead, leading to six years of
protest and legal wrangling that ended up costing local residents
hundreds of thousands of dollars and the province's taxpayers millions
in subsidies (i.e., "expert" assistance and legal help that
the government gave to the owners of the "farm"). Finally,
after seven years, the project was abandoned and the provincial
government initiated a process that was supposed to lead to a regional
land use plan and, hopefully, prevent another such disaster.
(photo: Agricultural Research Service Staff)
After a rocky start,
during which two planners were appointed and subsequently quit, a company that specializes in
regional planning was appointed to lead the project. The company chose a steering committee to (supposedly) give public input into the development of
the rural plan. Unfortunately, however, this process seems to have
died. According to a source on the steering committee, the planning
company came back with a "…cut and paste that looked like it
had been lifted from other plans and did not really reflect what the
members of the steering committee had envisioned." Apparently,
the members of the steering committee were so disgruntled that they
didn't even wish to submit the proposal to the public.
A major point of
contention on the road to rural planning is the impression among many
rural residents that planning will mean loss of control by the
property owner over his or her land. You have probably heard the
stories of people being prohibited from building garden sheds, needing
expensive building permits to install a new window, or being unable to
subdivide a lot from their farm for their son or daughter. Nothing
could be further from the truth.
Rural planning, as currently
practiced in most provinces and states, recognizes first and foremost
existing land uses and, where these land uses are not in serious
conflict with environmental laws, attempts to protect them. For
example, in Ontario, a company constructed a huge mushroom producing
facility (they called it a farm - sound familiar?) in a farming area.
When local residents, many of whom were farmers, complained and
finally took the mushroom "farm" to court, the judge ruled
that the mushroom factory was not representative of the local
agricultural farm practices and ordered an injunction on the
operation. In making his decision, Judge Ferguson emphasized that, had
the mushroom factory been constructed in an area where mushroom
factories had been traditionally located, he would not have objected.
(Cited in Pyke v Tri Grow Enterprises Ltd., 204 D.L.R. (4th) 400.)
(photo: Agricultural Research Service)
In Europe, in particular,
planning has existed for many years and I doubt that anyone would wish
it away. Around Helsinki, for example, planners have managed to
preserve/create an environment that accommodates farmers and rural
residents as well as those city dwellers who may just wish to visit
the country. Because planners have worked with the local residents and
farmers as a team, they have also managed to work ecologically,
preserving large tracts of forest and the multitude of small lakes and
wet lands in a landscape and climate that is very similar to that of
the Maritimes. Even in its primary industries, Finland is similar to
the Maritimes; with fishing, logging, minerals, and agriculture all
playing important roles. Planning, in both the urban and rural parts
of the country, has not only improved the environment, but has led to
higher land values for the residents and higher returns for those
resources that are exploited and used. Interestingly, the Finnish
company, UPM-Kymmene, that owns the mill in Miramichi, admits that the
barely controlled rape and pillage practices that they are allowed to
use here would be illegal in Finland; yet, even with added regulations
affecting both land zoning and production practices in Finland, they
have not closed down their operations there.
The only argument against
zoning is that its absence allows you to do anything to your property
without regard to your neighbours; however, it also allows your
neighbours to do anything to their property without regard to you,
including things that may make your property unlivable and
worthless.
So, where do you want that
nuclear waste reprocessing plant?
