Our Future Landscape

The recent discussion by Councillors of routes for the high speed train revealed some encouraging viewpoints. South Frontenac’s rural lifestyle was valued high enough to challenge the unstated benefits of the high speed train. That is a wise valuation of the landscape.

Can we extend that wisdom to see that just satisfying aims of consumer-based economics is not sufficient. We also hold other values. While seeking short-term economic goals we also assume that a healthy and stimulating natural support system will be there to maintain functional national and global ecosystems.

Changes in our global environment over the past several decades are clear demonstrations of the failure of shorter-term valuations.

So can we also understand that undeveloped and unworked areas such as parts of Central and North Frontenac have non-monetary values that also might benefit us mentally and environmentally if the landscape were protected from the proposed ‘development’. Along with industry and food production, we should value functioning environmental systems that we don’t yet know how to value in dollars.

Planning requires that we consider not only our back yards but also our counties, our provinces, our nations and our global system. Simply advocating fast economic growth does not do that.