Ancaster Coun. Lloyd Ferguson splits board but stays as Hamilton Conservation Authority chair
A campaign to oust Ancaster Coun. Lloyd Ferguson as chair of the Hamilton Conservation Authority fell flat when he was re-elected by acclamation - but not before exposing a rift on the board of directors.
Puslinch representative Susan Fielding joined city councillors Brad Clark and Russ Powers in boycotting the authority's Feb. 3 annual meeting, citing their poll of other directors who indicated a desire to acclaim Ferguson to a fourth one-year term.
In a letter read aloud by secretary-treasurer Neil McDougall at the start of the meeting, the three said they decided not to participate in this evening's action."
To date, we and you have received over 200 emails from conservation and environmental allies, donors, including major donors, who have expressed their lack of confidence in the current chair and his continuance in that capacity," the letter stated.
We do not wish to be complicit in the acclamation of a chair with whom our conservation allies, foundation donors and several past HCA and foundation chairs have lost confidence."
Shortly thereafter, Dundas citizen representative Dan Bowman nominated Ferguson, who was acclaimed by the other seven directors on hand without discussion.
Vice-chair Santina Moccio was also acclaimed to another term, as was Bowman in his role as chair of the conservation advisory board.
Before proceeding with the rest of the meeting, Ferguson addressed his opponents, including those who submitted 197 items of correspondence to the meeting and wrote letters or opinion pieces published in the Hamilton Spectator.
A number of them stated that we are bulldozing over or paving wetlands, and unfortunately I never saw one example because I'm not aware of one. I don't know how that message got out there, but it's too bad it did," he said.
Ferguson said much of the criticism focused on his effort to get the authority to enact a natural heritage offsetting policy to allow developers to destroy environmentally sensitive habitat if they recreate it elsewhere.
But he said he ultimately joined other directors in only agreeing to revise existing policies to try to minimize habitat loss if destruction is ordered by a higher level of government, not mentioning that he said at the time he only did so reluctantly.
His version of events left out that he criticized the authority's rejection of a proposal to bulldoze a wetland by the headwaters to Ancaster Creek to make way for a massive warehouse complex on Garner Road.
But Ferguson did note the developer is appealing the decision to the Ontario Land Tribunal.
The letters also suggested I support jobs and tax revenue over conservation, and I'll just open up by saying I do not apologize for saying we need tax relief and jobs for Hamilton," he said, arguing the city needs to increase its industrial tax base.
Ferguson then trumpeted several authority accomplishments and initiatives, including the purchase of 72 hectares of natural land in 2021 and the construction now underway on a wetland at the new Saltfleet Conservation Area in upper Stoney Creek.