According to correspondence from Jennifer Stephens, SVCA General Manager/Secretary-Treasurer, SVCA received a formal request from the Town of Saugeen Shores for an Administrative Review and a Section 28 Hearing under the Conservation Authorities Act on August 17th, 2021.
As Administrative Reviews and Section 28 Hearings (See Section 13) are heard by members of the conservation authority’s Executive Committee, she reached out to determine availability for a date to convene a meeting. On August 24th, Stephens provided the Town of Saugeen Shores with a proposed date and time for the meeting.
“If this time is convenient for the Town’s staff and other associates the Town wishes to have in attendance, the meeting will proceed at that time,” said Stephens. “Members of the public will be advised of the time and date of the meeting so that they can hear the presentations being given by both parties.”
Stephens pointed out that with respect to timelines for the review of a permit application submitted to a conservation authority, it varies tremendously based on complexity, the amount of material to review, the completeness of the material, and the revisions requested based on the reviews that have occurred.
According to Stephens, the Cedar Crescent Village (CCV) development has always been seen as a complex file and SVCA staff continue to employ due diligence under the Conservation Authorities Act in the review of the material submitted. “In the review of any complex application, there is back and forth between the applicant and the reviewing agency, in this case, the conservation authority. Each time new information is provided to the authority, it takes time to review that information,” Stephens pointed out.
She added, as a note of clarification, that she at times, receive notes from Directors who are inquiring about the status of a permit application that has been submitted for review.
“At no time,” says Stephens, “are these applications fast tracked or expedited because of this outreach. This is, of course, except for a situation where there is risk to life, property, or the environment. Staff are advised that an inquiry has come in from a Director and an update on the status of the file is provided to the Director who submitted the request.”
