Increasing pressure to live in and develop within close proximity to water, has resulted in extensive and increasing property damage, risks to public health and safety, detrimental impacts to local ecosystems, and high social disruption costs. Locating close to water exposes people and structures to frequent flooding, high erosion and potentially unstable environments (hazardous slopes). For government agencies, it has also meant increasing public liability, escalating requests and costs for broad-scale protection works, and public costs related to unwise individual decisions

To describe flooding, erosion, dynamic beaches, unstable soils & bedrock, as a problem is misleading. They are naturally occurring processes that shape and re-shape the landscape. They become a problem when people and structures are directly or indirectly impacted by these natural processes. Our response to natural hazards has historically focused on the construction of various forms of protection or remedial works, or unfortunately the complete ignorance of the danger.

In a significant number of cases, the protection works were installed in an ad-hoc fashion and ignored natural processes and environmental impacts. In addition, the failure or improper selection, design & installation of these works often resulted in environmental damage and the creation of new hazards. As a result, there have been marked increases in property damages, losses of land, social disruption and environmental degradation. (Adapted from the Ministry of Natural Resources, Natural Hazards Training Manual ,1997)

Based on this experience, the public has chosen to define "areas of provincial interest" (hazardous areas and sites) and to define where risks are acceptable and where the risks are not acceptable within these areas, in order to fairly judge the merits of new developments and proposals.

Principle
Ontario's long term economic prosperity, environmental health and social well being depend on reducing the potential for public cost or risk to Ontario's residents by directing development away from areas where there is a risk to public health or safety or of property damage. (Provincial Policy Statement, 1997)

Implementation
To follow this guiding principle as set out in the Provincial Policy Statement, agencies such as the Conservation Authority, direct development to locations outside of hazardous lands and hazardous sites to minimize the risks and costs posed by flooding, erosion, dynamic beaches, unstable soils, and unstable bedrock.

On March 10, 2000 the Full Authority passed Resolution No. 9 directing staff of the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority to follow and implement the Natural Hazards policies of the Provincial Policy Statement under the Planning Act and the associated "Natural Hazards Training Manual" (January 1997), and their successors.

The Authority is given approval to regulate development under the Conservation Authorities Act, and as a commenting and approval agency under the Planning Act and through Municipal Official Plans.

CONSERVATION AUTHORITIES ACT
March 29, 1999

28. (1) Subject to the approval of the Minister, an authority may make regulations applicable in the area under its jurisdiction,

c) prohibiting, regulating or requiring the permission of the authority for develop-
ment if, in the opinion of the authority, the control of flooding, erosion, dynamic beaches or pollution or the conservation of land may be affected by the development;