The Rural Voice, 1990-05, Page 34THE LAND & Grey Coun
PART II
At first glance, the two ratepayers' groups
that have formed in response to the con-
troversy over land use in Grey County appear
to have a great deal in common. Both stress
environmental issues, perhaps to varying
degrees, and both express concern about the
health of the democratic process in the
county. Both agree that development is,
under certain conditions, desirable. Both
want to ensure that local planning responds
to local needs. But there are important dif-
ferences between the two groups, differences
reflected, rather vaguely, by their choice of
names. The differences are also reflected, less
vaguely, by the name-calling and anger that
have been made part of the debate. The Grey
THE GREY ASSOCIATION FOR
BETTER PLANNING
Peggy Hutchison says that when she first became
involved in the issue of planning in her home township, she
thought that problems might be resolved simply by getting
people together for some constructive discussion.
But that ideal of co-operation and consensus -building
has given way to a painstaking attempt to defend some basic
concepts in an acrimonious and highly politicized debate,
and as president of the Grey Association for Better Planning
(GABP), she resorts to a parable:
"We've all agreed that we're going to drive on the right-
hand side of the road, and a few people want to drive on the
left." And she says that if everyone would show respect for
the rules, people could go back to being good neighbours.
The people and the land of Grey County are under pres-
sure, she says, and uncontrolled and inefficient municipal
planning will bring not only pollution, but increased costs
for hydro, telephones, roads, schools, health care, water, and
waste disposal — in other words, long-term pain.
Peggy Hutchison has farmed in Osprey Township since
1976. Before then, she and her husband, who have three
children, rented the farm to neighbours. She stresses the
integrated nature of her operation. The woodlot is a
source of supplementary income, she says, and the fields
that aren't best suited for crops make excellent pasture for
her sheep and cattle.
30 THE RURAL VOICE
ITS FUTURE
Association for Better Planning (GABP) was
formed after a meeting held last November.
The formation of the Grey Association for
Development and Growth (GDG) was an-
nounced in January. This month, The Rural
Voice continues its look at the issue of land
use and severances in Grey County by
interviewing executive members of the two
ratepayers' groups. As George Penfold of the
University of Guelph comments, future rural
land use policy may reflect precedents that
will be set when the furor in Grey County
begins to be resolved. Grey County residents
have no small task ahead, and it's a task that
other rural counties in Ontario are facing or
could be facing .. .
1