Mayor Kurt Alberts is committed to increasing public green space, parks and trails throughout the Township. The funding for increasing this public resource is part of the Township’s growth management approach which includes Development Cost Charges for open space. These charges are collected from each new residential unit created in the Township and can only be used for the purpose intended. The revenue from sale of surplus land goes into a land reserve account which provides another source of funding for land acquisition. In some cases others have helped fund or dedicated land for public use. The Township has adopted standards for parkland acquisition based upon population growth. The park standards include passive open space as well as areas for playfields and active parks at the neighbourhood, community and municipal level. Environmentally sensitive areas are also part of the open space network being established, as well as, an “arbour ribbon” along the urban edge. Since Mayor Alberts’s time on Council the community has seen the addition of over 800 acres of park and green space lands including: Brae Island Regional Park (150 ac); Derek Doubleday Arboretum (57 ac); Dixon lands on Glover Road (48 ac); Aldergrove Athletic Park (25 ac); West Creek Wetlands (163 ac); Willoughby Parks (100 ac); Bedford Landing (40 ac); Hope Redwoods (175 ac); Rees Callard (5 ac); Yorkson Lowlands (30 ac); plus others.
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