City of Pickering Official Plan- Edition 6

CITY POLICY
Ecological System
2.5 City Council will endeavour to,
(a) protect the City’s critical ecological
functions and components from
inappropriate human uses and activities,
including its stream and valley corridors,
environmentally significant areas, forests,
shorelines, wetlands, areas of natural and
scientific interest, rare species, and fish and
wildlife habitat;
(b) protect people from environmentally
hazardous situations by prohibiting
development where site conditions or
location pose a danger to public safety,
health or property;
(c) require the restoration and rehabilitation of
degraded and damaged ecosystems,
including polluted and contaminated sites;
(d) encourage energy and water conservation,
and the reduction, re-use and recycling of
waste;
(e) plan, design and manage communities,
both urban and rural, in harmony with
natural processes and functions by,
(i) improving the quality of surface water
runoff;
(ii) managing changes in the quantity and
rate of surface water runoff so that these
changes do not adversely affect the
environment;
(iii) promoting the naturalization of
valleylands and stream corridors;
(iv) enhancing groundwater recharge and
discharge; and
(v) protecting, restoring and where possible
creating large contiguous natural areas
in order to provide more and better
aquatic and terrestrial habitat;
(f) educate and involve residents,
business-people and landowners in
protecting and enhancing ecological cycles
and systems, and in making environmentally
responsible choices; and
(g) in cooperation with others, regularly monitor
and report on the health of the City’s
ecological system, and where warranted, take
and encourage others to take necessary
corrective action.
PICKERING OFFICIAL PLAN EDITION 6: Chapter Two -- Planning Framework 22