Why It Matters

Key Reasons to Protect Butternut Creek and 630 Gore Road

  • The Butternut Creek area serves as a vital community space for exercise, outdoor education in local schools, and meaningful engagement with nature.
  • The site is potential habitat for threatened species and supports migratory birds alongside diverse wildlife.
  • It features unique natural formations, including crystal-clear, vulnerable underground disappearing streams.
  • The property is hydrologically connected to a Provincially Significant Wetland, forming a de facto critical ecological corridor in Kingston’s East end.
  • Located on inferred karst topography, the site may create direct pathways between surface water and regional aquifers, which supply drinking water wells.
  • Fragmentation of turtle habitat may pose serious threats to local turtle populations.

Potential Impacts of Development at 630 Gore Road

  • Loss of irreplaceable ecosystems and possible degradation to Butternut Creek, which is an environmentally protected area.
  • Construction and operation of sewage infrastructure that risks contaminating surface water and harming aquatic habitats.
  • Increased traffic congestion at Waaban Crossing, Highway 15, and nearby intersections already struggling with heavy use.
  • Inefficient use of taxpayer dollars to build and maintain costly infrastructure in an area poorly chosen for sustainable urban growth.