The NCC and Norfolk County

TheNature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), on the surface, sounds like a wonderful organization dedicated to the preservation of Lands in Canada for future generations. Their mission statement says, “The Nature Conservancy of Canada will lead, innovate and use creativity in the conservation of Canada's natural heritage. We will secure important natural areas through their purchase, donation or other mechanisms, and then manage these properties for the long term.” According to the NCC's web site the organization was started in 1962 by a group of Naturalists to promote conservation. As the NCC grew through the purchase of many key properties, so did its visions of grandeur. The NCC and their partners now own 2.6 million acres across Canada and growing. I have to say that this is an incredible amount of property, and if conserved properly, will help protect the natural beauty of our country. However, there are a few issues with what the NCC has done and is currently doing in communities across Canada that are worth discussing. The NCC has entered into agreements with major industrial forces who are poisoning the rest of the planet to essentially mask their pollution, there are financial implications stemming from the NCC’s purchase of thousands of acres of land that will affect the residents of Norfolk County and we are losing some of Ontario's most fertile farmland.



Many may remember the discussions regarding the Kyoto Accord or Kyoto Protocol and many may know that Canada has not yet agreed to this.  For the rest of you, the Kyoto Accord, in summary, is a way for the worlds' primary polluters to offset their carbon footprints without actually changing their practices.  This allows these companies to purchase a Carbon Credit or to support/maintain an area that is considered to hold enough trees to counteract the amount of pollution needed to decrease that company's carbon footprint. Canada has not accepted this agreement as of yet, but that does not mean that other countries in the world have not. Carbon Credits are indeed for sale and sold by the NCC.  How can a company that claims to be protecting our forests and wetlands support an idea that allows the world's largest polluters to continue polluting, or potentially increase their pollution levels, and simply offset that by planting a few trees? It's simple, Money.  According to a 2012 study completed at the University of Victoria the global carbon credits market is expected to reach between 1-2 trillion dollars. NCC boasts about being part of the largest Carbon Credit program in Canada and values it at “in excess of $4 million” for credits obtained from one property. Considering that Canada's Boreal Forest covers 60% of Canada's landmass we can understand why the interest in Canadian properties including those in Norfolk County. There is much speculation regarding the evaluations by the NCC on the number of Carbon Credits their properties should actually produce.  According to B.C. newspaper The Tyee the NCC may have overestimated the amount of Carbon Credits they could produce and sell on one particular property by 5 times the actual rate as compared to previous years under the earlier forestry management program.  Norfolk County is not the only area currently struggling to understand the potential consequences of the NCC in their community and country.

You may be wondering exactly what this has to do with you or why you should be concerned about NCC in your area. After a recent land purchase by the NCC in Burpee-Mill on Manitoulin Island Council was left wondering how they would recover the lost tax revenues as the land became tax exempt. With no apparent limit on the amount of conservation land that can be owned, how do you prevent an organization like the NCC from purchasing lands or receiving donated lands and making them tax exempt? You don’t. We all know that when there are shortfalls in any government budget, it ends up being the tax payers who end up covering the costs either through increases in their tax rate or through loss of services in the communities. The NCC has recently acquired approximately 5100 acres in Norfolk County and we are still unclear on how this will affect the tax base. In an article in the Port Rowan Good News, Counselor Betty Chanyi has stated that the NCC has paid tax on the properties purchased in the past years, however, we do not know if there is a statute of limitations on these payments or the exact amount paid.  Will they pay for the duration of the ownership of these properties? We also don't know the comparative values to see the tax revenues the county would have received had they remained farms. What we do know, by passing by the locations is that they are removing the homes and buildings which would substantially decrease the amount of taxes paid.  

Now who foots the bill for the lost revenue in the County again? Our Federal Tax Dollars are also being used to support the NCC. Why is the federal government getting involved with a private organization that seems to be doing just fine. The Federal government has provided the NCC with $185 million to date according to the NCC web page and has promised a total $225 million. Maybe if the Federal Government would have given some of that funding to the Long Point RegionConservation Authority they would not have had to sell portions of Canada's First Forestry Station to the NCC. Or maybe the LPRCA and Norfolk County needed to better understand the sale of Carbon Credits as a source of revenue. I know I'm not looking forward to a tax increase while my federal tax dollars are part of the cause of my Municipal increase and the NCC is getting their share of that 1-2 trillion dollar business.

Norfolk County is Canada's leading grower of many fruits and vegetables such as Asparagus, Squash, Pumpkins, Sour Cherries and the list goes on.... It is described as Ontario's Garden. Why are we selling our farms to an organization dedicated to conservation and why is our government letting this happen? Why does the NCC even care about these properties? If we really are entering a time of a world food shortage, is it really the time to start letting the land go stagnant and letting trees gradually fill in our valuable, fertile fields? If you take a drive down Highway 24 S. towards Walsingham, ON you will see hundreds of acres of prime farm land sitting there full of weeds and some small trees that have come up naturally. You will also see signs posted by the NCC that say Planting Trees for Fresh Air. We have never seen anyone plant a tree on any one of those properties, although, we have seen them plant many wooden fence posts and fencing that disrupt the natural habitat and movement of animals in the area. Our rural farms feed the rest of the country. Sustainable farming initiatives can only work if there are still farms left to sustain. The NCC can't help us when there is nowhere left to grow our fruits and veggies. Money can't buy food when there is nowhere to grow it.

Norfolk County can't seem to say no when it comes to the NCC and their dealings in the area. Norfolk Councilors just gave NCC the 4^th Concession in Walsingham. A road used for farmers to access their fields and to keep an eye on their property. These roads have now been gated and can only be accessed by those with a key. This road is also the access point to many Backhus mills trails where you can appreciate some of the beauty of Norfolk. We took a walk down there last weekend and now there is a substantial walk to the entrance of the trails from that end. If an elderly or disabled resident of Norfolk wanted to visit the trail, they would have a long walk ahead of them. We also saw no way for a wheelchair, scooter, or other assistance  device to pass through the gates. Why is the NCC limiting access to their properties that are meant for conservation and all to appreciate?

We need to ensure that we preserve our farmlands and way of life in Norfolk County and it is up to us to ensure this happens. Norfolk County needs everyone's help to ensure that it remains accessible to everyone. We want tourism and visitors to appreciate Norfolk the same way we do and if we continue in the direction we are heading this will not happen. Please show your support for Norfolk and help everyone appreciate its beauty.

I have added additional articles for anyone who is interested in reading about the other areas affected by the NCC.  These articles are very interesting and we thank all writers for their time and research in helping us get to the bottom of this issue.
 
http://www.manitoulin.ca/2012/10/17/history-advises-caution-on-nature-conservancy-assurances/
http://www.manitoulin.ca/2012/10/03/nature-conservancy-answers-some-cockburn-island-concerns/
http://www.manitoulin.ca/2013/08/09/burpee-mills-council-meets-with-nature-conservancy-on-tax-exempt-lands-issue/
http://www.manitoulin.ca/2013/04/05/mma-requests-meeting-with-mnr-to-discuss-tax-exempt-land-concerns/
http://www.manitoulin.ca/2012/09/21/municipal-leaders-petition-province-for-payment-in-lieu-of-tax-exempt-lands/
http://johnbainbridge9.wordpress.com/2013/07/09/delegations-9/
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2011/07/22/StrangeOffsets/
http://web​.uvic.ca/~​repa/publi​cations/RE​PA%20worki​ng%20paper​s/WorkingP​aper2012-0​6.pdf
http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/54337-nature-conservancy-facing-funding-uncertainty
http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/ofa13480