Brant for Nature is encouraging residents to use their voice and urge the City of Brantford to protect the headwaters of D’Aubigny Creek and the surrounding wetlands from a housing development proposal.
Tom Sitak, a retired teacher and president of Brant for Nature, said the group has recently been working with Environmental Defence on a public campaign to educate the public and deliver their message straight to City councillors.
“What we’ve done is we’ve published a flyer electronically, and we’ve also delivered about 400 flyers in-person to the residents of Ward 1, but we’re hoping to get another 1,000 delivered this upcoming weekend,” he said. “The flyer has a QR code on it that you can scan with your phone and it takes you to an electronic letter that the Brant for Nature board has drafted with the cooperation of Environmental Defence. We’re trying to educate the public about the area and its environmental significance, but to also make sure that the City Council knows that this is a special area and the people, especially in Ward 1, want it protected.”
The issue at hand is a proposed housing development from the L!V Community Development Landowners Group. The subject lands, located in Ward 1 between Shellard Lane and the CN Rail Trail, are comprised of three owners, L!V Community Group, Losani Homes and a private owner. Part of the plans suggest a collector road to provide access to Shellard Lane, crossing over the cold-water tributaries and beside provincially significant wetlands.
“I believe the first step would be to build a road from Shellard’s Lane, right across the wetland and the tributaries, in order to get to where they want to put the houses, which is on the current farmland, and so that’s what we’re worried about,” said Sitak.
In an interview with the Brant Beacon in June 2025, Sitak explained that with urban development comes pollution runoff over hard surfaces.
“So that’s salt on the roads, fertilizers, and pesticides that people use on their lawns and gardens,” he said. “There’s also erosion that occurs during the construction phase of the development, and all of that could potentially impact the water quality in the creek.”
The Brant for Nature president said the group is essentially trying to accomplish three things through this campaign.
“The first thing is to make sure that core natural areas in the City of Brantford are protected, as listed under the current Master Plan,” said Sitak. “We know it’s difficult because of the pressure from developers to develop and also because a lot of the new provincial policies make it easier to circumvent some of those regulations that are already in place, but this is one of those core areas, and so we want the City to stick to its plan.”
He said the second is to safeguard a local population of brook trout in the creek and other wildlife in the area.
“This area in particular is very unique because of the wetlands that are just adjacent to where they want to put the housing development, and also because of the cold water creek [ D’Aubigny] that contains a resident population of brook trout. I’m told this is a species that has been there for approximately 5,000 years, so it would be a shame if we did interfere with their habitat, and they disappeared,” said Sitak. “They need the cold water and so we’re really worried about when the subdivision goes in, there’ll be hard surfaces and they’ll put storm water management ponds in for the water to drain off those hard surfaces. The issue with those ponds is that they are open to the sunlight, especially in the summertime, and that water will eventually trickle into the creek.”
“On top of that, there’s all sorts of wildlife that’s there too like deer, coyotes and all the birds; our group did an hour and a half hike in the area in the spring and I think we saw over 40 species of birds there,” he continued. “So it’s a unique area and it’s a really important corridor that connects the rural landscape just southwest of Brantford to County lands and to the Grand River.”
And finally, the group’s hope is to encourage the City to start working with organizations that help them adapt development practices that are more environmentally friendly.
“We would like them to increase their standards a little bit when it comes to development and with keeping the environment in mind,” said Sitak. “I know of two municipalities that are really on top of their game, and have taken on a real leadership in that regard, so we’re hoping that the City of Brantford will also develop some wise practices when it comes to development in environmentally sensitive areas.”
Speaking about the letter, Sitak said he and the rest of the Brant for Nature group thought it would be a good way to get residents involved and use their voice.
“We just thought it was a good strategy to get the word out to the Councillors, so it automatically gets sent to the two in Ward 1, but it also goes to the rest of them as well as the Mayor.
It was a way for us to just make it easy for people to have a voice and to learn a bit more about the area,” he said. “Brant for Nature is all about education and letting people know why this a special area, why wetlands are important, and why cold water creeks are vital, not just for a healthy environment, but for a healthy community. Given that there are a lot of people who are new to Brantford and living in West Brant, they may not know the area and so hopefully the electronic email provides them with some information, and gives them an easier way of communicating with their municipal government.”
Noting that yes, the email may come off as redundant to those who have been receiving it en masse, Sitak said that residents also have an opportunity at the bottom of teh letter to leave their own comment as well.
“I know it’s an electronic email, but people still have to get to it, they still have to put their name down, and they still have to take the time to send it so they’re not going to just do it for nothing,” he explained. “They do it because they care about it.”
In a video posted to social media on Monday, November 24, Ward 1 Councillor Rose Sicoli addressed the situation and thanked the residents for staying engaged.
“I just wanted to thank all the residents who reached out to me about D’Aubigny Creek. I certainly heard from a lot of you and it is clear how much people care about protecting the natural spaces that we have, and honestly, I feel the same way. Some of you mentioned that there’s a landowner group doing some public consultation, and an environmental assessment in the area, and that’s true that’s happening,” she said. “Just to be clear, the City has not received any application to rezone or develop this land, and I want you to know I’m not just listening, I’m actually taking action. For the past few months, I’ve been working directly with one of the landowner groups and with City staff to bring a large portion of this property into City ownership. The goal is pretty straightforward, it’s to protect this natural corridor for the long term, and although we’re still in the early stages, I’m hopeful we can get this across the finish line.”
“As Brantford grows, development is going to happen but it needs to be responsible. We need to protect the areas that matter–places just like D’Aubigny Creek,” continued Sicoli. “They deserve to be preserved, not just for us, but for everyone and for the generations that are coming after us. So thanks again to everyone who reaches out and I appreciate you staying engaged.”
Sitak also received a personal response from Sicoli when he left his own comment on the letter, and he said he was thankful for responding.
“I wrote a comment at the bottom of that electronic letter and Rose Sicoli replied saying she’s all for protecting that area, so that was really nice and I think that’s a positive step in the right direction,” he said.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
