A reckless megadevelopment on the Castle Glen property could eviscerate one of southern Ontario’s last intact Niagara Escarpment corridors. Words :: Ned Morgan // photo & video :: Colin Field.
Not far south of Blue Mountain Resort lies an unbroken stretch of land in an area otherwise crosshatched by concession roads and highways.
Comprising more than 1,500 acres of forests, former pastures, Niagara Escarpment outcroppings and wetlands (including one lake and the headwaters of two rivers), the property is known as Castle Glen—for its proximity to the ruins of Osler Castle, built in the 1890s by lawyer Britton Bath Osler (brother of famed physician Sir William Osler).
A Toronto-area developer aims to transform this sizable hunk of wild land into a megaproject with up to 1,600 residential units, hundreds of hotel units, three golf courses and thousands of square feet of commercial space.
An undertaking on this monolithic scale would tear the heart out of the region’s remaining unprotected escarpment lands, devouring resources and spewing carbon emissions in the process, while local taxpayers foot the bill for the upgrades needed to service a new community so far from present infrastructure. Canada’s housing crisis can be solved faster with affordable homes built inside current urban boundaries; the Castle Glen development is precisely the opposite of what’s needed.
The registered charity Escarpment Corridor Alliance (ECA) believes the property—which was first given limited approval for development in 1971—should instead be protected, stitching together an ecological corridor including Pretty River Valley Provincial Park, the Kolapore Uplands and the Beaver Valley.
“No single piece of land in our region has the strategic importance of Castle Glen,” says ECA President Bruce Harbinson. “It is the largest undeveloped, single-owner property on the escarpment in southern Georgian Bay and is home to many rare and at-risk species of flora and fauna. Our knowledge of ecological systems has progressed so immensely in the 50-plus years since Castle Glen was first approved, yet today this incredible property—a key part of the Ontario Greenbelt and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve—could soon be forever changed. Beyond its natural heritage value, Castle Glen occupies a highly strategic position and the massive nature of the proposed development would completely sever two existing natural corridors: south to north along the escarpment and east to west into the Beaver Valley.”
Ecological corridors matter, and a single statistic goes a long way toward explaining why. The Living Planet Index—managed by the Zoological Society of London in cooperation with the World Wide Fund for Nature—tracks global data on populations of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians. Its 2022 report noted an average 69 per cent decrease in global wildlife populations between 1970 and 2018. Every reasonable human should recognize the need for remedial action. That is: Stop needlessly erasing habitat with developments that ignore principles of viable community planning, land use and watershed management.
If the land were instead a provincial, county or municipal multi-use park with trail networks and other low-impact infrastructure, that small investment in a strong economy driven by outdoor tourism would pay its own dividends. Take for example the Parc Des Sommets in Bromont, Quebec. Today this 370-acre expanse of forest contains five networks of public trails for mountain biking, hiking, running, skiing and horseback riding.
Every reasonable human should recognize the need for remedial action. That is: Stop needlessly erasing habitat with developments that ignore principles of viable community planning, land use and watershed management.
Six years ago, the land was on the verge of development before a joint effort by the municipality of Bromont, the Nature Conservancy of Canada, the Quebec government and a local fundraising campaign raised more than $8 million to buy the property from Bromont Resort. Today the Parc Des Sommets is one of the top trail destinations in eastern Canada.
Could something similar happen at Castle Glen? Fifteen hundred acres could support a profusion of public recreational opportunities including the Bruce Trail, whose optimum route follows the escarpment through the middle of the property. (Currently the Bruce Trail is relegated to Grey Road 19 just south of Castle Glen.) Why would anyone instead choose to destroy southern Ontario’s rapidly vanishing green space for luxury real estate and golf courses no one needs?
The answer is depressingly straightforward: Profit. Unfortunately, it’s a greed-based answer that ignores the potential of a protected Castle Glen not only for the region’s overall economy but for the health and well-being of the entire population. But I need to believe that in the face of the biodiversity crisis, logic will prevail: No amount of profit is worth bulldozing the natural systems that keep us alive and well. Aren’t we a species intelligent enough to find a way to beneficially coexist in the habitat we share with every other species? Surely it is by now a truism to point out that a fully functioning ecosystem delivers the air, water and food we can’t live without. If nature stops thriving, we will soon follow suit.
The Escarpment Corridor Alliance has a plan to save the Castle Glen property from development, but they need your help. Learn more at www.myescarpment.ca or email Executive Director Jarvis Strong.
Check out the CBC’s coverage of the ECA (focusing on the Talisman lands) here.
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