Questions and Answers

1. Does the City/Region need more regulations for new and future businesses to protect groundwater?

Mark Bauman: Possibly more regulations are needed, but existing rules need to be enforced. Waterloo Region has well-head protection rules, but any development planned prior to its implementation has been given "grandfathered" exemption. I would also add that I am opposed to both a Great Lakes pipeline and the West Montrose reservoir, as both projects will encourage sprawl in order to pay for the projects. I hope that water shortages may help to control growth!

2. Do you support a bylaw restricting the non-essential, cosmetic use of pesticides (for lawn and garden care)?

Mark Bauman: Yes, I support pesticide restrictions, however, they need to be applied to golf courses as well. The vast majority of pesticides are used in agriculture, and we need to explore ways to help farmers reduce use, without affecting crop production adversely.

3. The issue of a new Highway 7 between Kitchener and Guelph is still simmering. What is your preferred solution? (ie leave existing road as is? widen existing highway? put in commuter train between K/W and Guelph? build new highway, etc.)

Mark Bauman: Initially, I was opposed to a new highway because it affected every wetland between Kitchener and Guelph. The latest version has addressed many of those issues. The short-term solution of widening the existing road would only be helpful for about a decade, and its taken longer than that to make the present plans. Forty years ago if we had not built Highway 401, and just widened Highway #2, where would we be today?

4. What are your recommendations for alternate transportation (ie bike/hike trails, buses, LRT, GO train)

Mark Bauman: I am a supporter of hiking, biking, buses and LRT. I do not support GO train links with Toronto, as it will only turn us into a bedroom community, and increase urban sprawl. In answer to Q3, regarding trains between Kitchener and Guelph, I think train schedules for such a short distance would be cumbersome, but if the LRT route can become viable in Waterloo Region, a spur route to Guelph through the expanded employment lands near the airport could become an option. In the immediate future, bus links between the two cities need to be explored, and I feel the provincial government should provide a percentage of highway funding for this service.

5. What are your solutions for gridlock?

Mark Bauman: There is no simple solution. For years we have been playing "catch-up" with infrastructure, not roads. Even the smart growth strategy, I feel, does not address all of the future needs for infrastructure. We need to change our thinking, and developers thinking as to how we grow. We need to become less auto dependant by infilling in the urban areas, increasing density and thus making public transit more viable. Development charges need to be pro-rated, such that they increase proportionately as development moves away from urban centers. Sprawl only compounds gridlock.

6. Do you support defining an urban border that puts an end to urban sprawl to protect farmland and natural areas?

Mark Bauman: YES!! We need to protect farmland and natural areas. In a growing world, it is irresponsible to pave over first class farmland. Natural areas provide water recharge and help to clean our polluted air. "If you can't breathe, nothing else matters" I would also support planting a border of assorted trees on the countryside line, so that there is a visible line on the ground and not just a fuzzy line on a map.

7. Do you believe that our size should be limited to our carrying capacity (ie groundwater resources, geographical barriers, impact on natural environment)

Mark Bauman: YES!. I touched on this topic before with my opposition to pipelines and reservoirs. Often we look at only the needs of Waterloo Region for water needs, but we need to look further downstream to Brantford and Six Nations. They acquire their water from the Grand River, which is the same river we use to assimilate our treated sewage water. With growth in our region, comes the responsibility to return water to the river in a quality that we would expect to use for our drinking supply. We also need to challenge farmer in the Grand River watershed to be more responsible with manure runoff and cattle that have access to streams. Woolwich Healthy Communities has a good program of stream bank rehabilitation with local landowners that could be expanded.

8. What measurable initiatives can you take to improve air quality locally?

Mark Bauman: Ban drive thru restaurants Build the LRT system and encourage development to support it Encourage employers to offer incentives to staff to carpool. Let hydro rate reflect the true cost of generation of electricity, thus making wind and solar power more viable. Phase out coal fired plants ASAP

9. How do you envision reaching zero waste?

Mark Bauman: Continued expansion of the blue box program User fees for garbage collection Surcharges for throwaway items ie. Coffee cups Deposits on all glass, metal and plastic containers (like beer bottles)

10. How do you see the City/Region 20 years from now?

Mark Bauman: Growing, but hopefully in a controlled and planned way. If future councils adhere to the smart growth strategy that now needs to be implemented by the incoming Regional council, with out diluting it to the wishes of developers and the business community, there is hope. Otherwise … drive to Mississauga to see the answer!

11. Should Cambridge fit into the Region's future? If yes, how?

Mark Bauman: YES. They have been and they need to continue to be, both for their economic health and for that of the rest of the Region. While there have been differences between the two in the past, I feel they can be overcome.

12. How do you propose to obtain the maximum level of forest coverage for this area?

Mark Bauman: Forests need to be protected by restricting any development that requires cutting down any existing woodlots. Grand fathering existing properties cannot be allowed. Another favorite trick of developers is to say they will plant a new area of trees to replace a mature woodlot. It will take a minimum of a century for a new area to start to function as an ecosystem. Woolwich Township is starting a tree-planting program where we partner with volunteer groups to provide to provide the trees if they provide the planting labour. One of these groups is Woolwich Healthy Communities.

13. How can you best work with community groups and concerned citizens to achieve environmental sustainability?

Mark Bauman: I read a quote that said, "Our volunteers are not paid because they are worthless, but because they are priceless". Community groups, whatever their passion, provides a service to a municipality that is priceless, and makes a better community. Partnering with these groups with seed money for trees or other materials will reap benefits that could not be achieved alone by the municipality.

14. How would you support and develop lifelong environmental education in the City/Region?

Mark Bauman: Children are our future! Woolwich Healthy communities include local school children in their stream rehab work. Once they have helped with a program like that, there is a pride that develops, and a responsibility to greater aspects of the environment is learned. One of the biggest threats to our environment is the thinking that it is too costly to plan development to be in harmony with the environment. In fact remediation efforts are much more costly. Nature is not very forgiving. We can do things properly first, of face expensive clean-up and reduced quality of life later!

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