TLNAP: Frequently Asked Questions

We're listening and have answered your questions on the draft Trent Lands and Nature Areas Plan. This page will be updated regularly with more answers to your frequently asked questions.

Watch the Virtual Town Hall, hosted November 18, 2020, for an overview of the Lands Plan update and to hear answers to many of the commonly-asked questions.

Questions:

About the Plan

Nature Areas/Natural Heritage

Campus Developments

About the Plan

Why does Trent need a Framework Plan?

A Framework Plan will allow Trent to make informed decisions to ensure the campus is engaging, resilient, and meets multiple needs. It provides direction to protect and enhance the natural environment across the campus from a systems-view point. It outlines where development can take place to meet campus needs (e.g. housing, experiential learning), what new opportunities we can pursue to meet appropriate community needs (e.g. employment, recreation), and how we will address current and anticipated challenges (e.g. traffic, accessibility). The Plan also provides the City, County and adjacent municipalities with input to their planning processes including the Official Plan, master transportation and infrastructure plans, and natural heritage plans. The Framework Plan lays out a vision to attract investment from donors, government and others and ultimately to ensure Trent and the environment thrive. It is a long term, multi-decade, conceptual plan that is not intended to be prescriptive but to be adaptive and responsive to changing needs and opportunities within the campus and the community. It enables proactive land management over the long term with an integrated ecosystem perspective As environmental stewardship and development/ infrastructure projects move from concept to planning stages, site-specific studies will confirm natural heritage feature significance, appropriate buffers from features, parcel boundaries, and specific actions to protect and enhance the environment. It enables proactive land management over the long term with an integrated ecosystem perspective.

Land-use change literature calls for governance mechanisms that facilitate both relationship building and building of shared understandings of the landscape in question. What qualitative analysis will get applied to the public feedback and what is your plan for communicating these findings to the public after the feedback period? Further, what are the next step plans/timelines if resolution mechanisms are needed (eg. collective multi-stakeholder dialogues) to foster the building of shared understandings and ameliorate substantiated concerns?

The Trent Lands and Nature Areas Plan has been built on extensive feedback and dialogue that has been responsive to the interests of stakeholders and rightsholders, and worked to ensure accessibility to participate in various ways. In terms of building shared understanding of the landscape:

The Phase 1 and 2 reports are available on the website, outlining the feedback received;
The purpose of the Natural Heritage Report is to create a shared understanding of the landscape, including a section on the regulatory context; and
Indigenous history in this area is also documented, including ways to incorporate Indigenous Traditional Knowledge throughout the Plan

Questions and comments received in this final phase are being shared with the full planning team as they are received, and the team meets weekly to discuss the implications and alterations to the plan based on this input. A final phase engagement report will be released along with the final plan, that outlines the feedback received in this final phase. Additionally, the Trent Lands Plan team continues to be available for meetings on specific issues, such as recent meetings on the Trent Vegetable Gardens.

Will there be a page on the Land Plan site where the stakeholders can post their concerns so we can share with other members of the Peterborough community?

The site currently has a form for feedback to be submitted. The comments are reviewed weekly by the Lands Plan team, and feedback is considered as the draft Plan is reviewed and revised before presentation to the Board. The feedback collected from Phase 1 & Phase 2 are posted on the website. Feedback from this final phase will be reported back after this comment period is closed and the team is able to review all comments received. In the meantime, questions we receive are being posted on the website on the FAQ tab, and we are developing 'summary sheets' and newsletters to respond to areas of confusion or interest.

The maps are confusing. Some of the details for the site located at the north end of the campus are difficult to see on the new maps on the Trent land-use plan. Instead of a perpendicular aerial view, maps are presented at an angle that visually diminishes details in areas that are located north of the campus core. Under the map perspectives, it is hard for the mind to process exactly how large the land is near the Bolton homestead.

The maps are presented as illustrative to be clear that this is a concept level plan that outlines the future vision for the Symons campus. Areas are not mapped to GIS-level detail as future site-specific planning will include field studies that allow feature boundaries to be accurately mapped.

Is it possible to deconstruct the Framework Plan map into multiple maps to be able to see the different features more easily? The way it currently is looks nice, but it is hard to read and not accessible with so many close colours overlapping. Also adding a scale with measurable units would be helpful.

Yes! To help unpack the Plan, we have created summary sheets that dive deeper into different layers and elements. The Building the Framework Plan breaks down the layers that create the Framework Plan. These maps include more details and annotations.

How did you measure the walkability of the campus? The 15-minute walk across the campus seems like it would only be for able-bodied students, but I would be happy to hear if there are greater accessibility planned to make it 15 minutes for everyone.

Accessibility for everyone is an important feature of the Mobility and Transportation principles of the plan. The Lands Plan lays out mobility and transportation guidelines and goals to reduce the reliance on vehicles, and increase public transportation, trail connectivity and other methods of transportation. Currently, the campus is not walkable within 15 minutes, with only one bridge crossing the Otonabee River on the core campus. As elements of the plan are implemented, the mobility guidelines and campus consultation will help to increase accessibility and mobility for all. Remember the plan outlines intent and guides implementation of the initiatives to achieve the intent.

Could you please address how this plan has adjusted in the last 8 months to the pandemic and how this plan can address the likely changes that we are going to face in postsecondary education in the next decade?

The most significant impact of the pandemic has been to highlight how critical it is for Trent to continue to thrive. We know from regular conversation with community leaders that they are looking to Trent to continue to be the strong regional economic driver that it has been for 54 years. The opportunity for leased land to generate a stable long term funding for research, infrastructure and innovation is important to ensure the long-term sustainability of Trent, and in turn the region. The importance of partnerships has also been emphasized through the pandemic and is captured in the Plan. Elements of the plan like the Seniors Village, residential housing, and other community infrastructure will help advance economic, social and recreational infrastructure for the community. The viability of local agencies post-Covid is a concern to many, and we are in conversations with various local groups on how we can partner to implement the Nature Areas Stewardship Plan in a way that helps flow funding to them as well.

Do you have a rough idea of the cost of this plan?

The cost to bring elements and projects within the plan to life will be determined as opportunities come forward.

Why is there a gateway located near 9th Line and County Rd 32? The Gateway is located close to a wetland that has an abundance of frogs. That gateway is also located close to what the locals call the beech cathedral forest.

Trent's main entrance to the West Bank on Nassau Mills Road is not the only way people enter or access the Symons campus. The Gateways are meant to be symbolic, and to inspire future consideration for identifying when people are entering Trent's campus. The gateways are not necessarily a built- form structure but could include options such as less invasive signage. We would consider the natural heritage in that area for any such installation.

Nature Areas/Natural Heritage

Why is Trent updating the 2002 Nature Areas Stewardship Plan?

The 2002 Nature Areas Stewardship Plan is out-of-date and needs to be updated to reflect:

In some areas, boundaries for the Nature Areas need to reflect ‘on the ground’ feature limits (e.g. Nassau Mills Wetland complex addition and location), or more accurate property limits.
An action-forward plan is needed to address concerns such as invasive species, habitat loss, fragmentation, biodiversity and Species at Risk, the negative impact of dogs, and areas of overuse.
Continued protection and preservation of the Nature Areas is important to all and is in the best interest of the University.
We seek to integrate Indigenous Traditional Knowledge and Indigenous values in the Plan.

What do the vision and goals mean for the Trent Nature Areas?

The Trent Lands and Nature Areas Plan commits to maintaining 60% of the Symons Campus as Nature Areas and green spaces and the Plan upholds this commitment. The Trent Nature Areas establishes a place where Species at Risk thrive in a healthy and safe habitat, and where learning about the environment is a priority. Implementation of the Trent Nature Areas Stewardship Plan will be a source for student experiential learning, research, and engagement with the Michi Saagiig community.

What will be done to protect natural spaces from development especially wetlands? Will unevaluated wetlands be evaluated?

A fundamental goal of this planning exercise is to identify natural heritage features and confirm where development should occur based on that information. This has resulted in at least four development parcels being converted to Nature Areas based on the results of our field studies. As projects and opportunities move from concept to planning stage, environmental impact studies will be commissioned to inform site planning and determine both the necessary buffers from natural heritage features, as well as opportunities to achieve net benefit to the surrounding environment through monitoring of feature health, enhancement of habitat etc. Wetlands within 120 metres of proposed development will undergo an evaluation as required by policy. In the meantime, the planning assumption is that all wetlands are significant.

How are buffers from wetlands established, and why hasn’t a 120m buffer been applied to existing projects like the Cleantech Commons? Is there consideration for minimum buffers?

This is an area of frequent misunderstanding. The 120m number is not a maximum buffer, it is the point at which the need for environmental impact studies (EIS) are triggered. A new development that is within 120m of a significant natural feature or habitat must complete an EIS. The EIS details the potential direct and indirect impact of the proposed development on the adjacent natural features. Buffers from the natural heritage features are established by the regulatory authority (Otonabee Conservation in Peterborough), based on the review of the EIS.

Buffers were discussed extensively in preparing the plan. The decision was made to not include these for several reasons: the plan is intended to support long-term planning horizons and in this time it is expected that policy, as well as best practices, will change/evolve. The plan provides fundamental direction to direct design and planning but leaves the determination to be done in consultation with regulatory agencies, site-specific conditions and current practices and knowledge. The buffers will appear within the identified University Districts, and we have used the illustrative mapping approach to emphasize that level of detail would come at a later date, i.e. after site-specific studies.

It is important to note that while buffers are an important piece, they are not the only method to protect natural heritage features. Avoiding or mitigating impacts through design provides opportunities to reduce the load placed on buffers as a mitigation measure. The Plan identifies various ways that buffers themselves can be enhanced, how the site plan can locate ecologically supportive features, and support nature-inclusive design (see pages 78-83).

Will you seek to exceed Ontario's regulations on buffers?

Ecological buffers directly protect and support the natural feature to which they are adjacent. Buffers are determined by regulatory agencies through site-specific environmental studies (see pages 78-83 of the plan). There are no minimum or maximum buffer sizes prescribed, and buffers are only one way to protect the health of the natural feature. To ensure the buffer between Cleantech Commons and the Nassau Mills Wetland Complex is effective, Trent has undertaken 3rd party monitoring of the site controls (e.g. silt fences). Further, we have also initiated long term monitoring of the wetland, which will identify any additional actions that can be undertaken to ensure the health of the wetland.

Why are buffers from development not shown on the Plan?

As development and infrastructure projects move from concept to planning stages, site-specific studies will confirm natural heritage feature significance, appropriate buffers from features, parcel boundaries, and specific actions to protect and enhance the environment (see pages 79-83 in the plan). The illustrative location for University districts includes within them space for buffers as determined by future site plans.

Will there be changes to the funding of the Trent Nature Area Stewardship Advisory Committee to help tackle larger issues, such as invasive species and experiential learning projects?

Implementing the Nature Areas Stewardship Plan will require additional resources. There are currently a few endowed donor funds that support trail clearing in the Canal and Wildlife Sanctuary Nature Areas. One of the goals of creating this plan is to outline our goals and plans for the Nature Areas to help attract the funding needed to achieve them. The Nature Areas Stewardship Plan will be a philanthropic priority for the University’s Advancement team, engaging donors to develop and implement the management plan for that area over the long term. It is also a priority to engage students in advancing the management plans for the Nature Areas - doing the field studies, developing restoration plans etc. A small fund is in place to kick-start this work, and the University will work with the School of the Environment and Biology Department to identify ways that this work could be undertaken as part of field courses and placements.

What happened to the Hwy 28 Nature Area and what baseline did you use for calculating the increase to the Nature Areas in this plan?

We spent a lot of time trying to determine how to best to show the evolution of the Trent Nature Areas and the recommendations for their ongoing stewardship in the Plan.

The Highway 28 Woods Nature Area, located on the west side of Water Street, was transferred to the City of Peterborough at no cost in 2010 as part of the Water Street residence plan approval. The area was designated as a "Protected Natural Areas and Corridors" in the City's Official Plan. The new draft City Official Plan retains this status as a natural Area Designation (Schedule B).

Despite being transferred in 2010, this Nature Area still appeared on the 2013 Lands Plan because that was a desk-top exercise that built on the 2006 Endowment Lands Plan. Those involved in the 2013 plan were not at Trent in 2010, so the land transfer was unfortunately not picked up or reflected in 2013. The 2020 Plan is much more detailed and started with getting the most up-to-date data on Trent’s land boundaries - which is when the Trent Lands team picked up the discrepancy in past plans.

To reduce confusion, the status of the Trent Nature Areas boundaries in Fall 2017, at the time the Lands Plan was initiated, was used at the baseline for demonstrating and calculating the net impact of changes proposed in the 2020 Plan.

What is happening with the Trent Vegetable Garden & Apiary? Why are the Trent Vegetable Gardens being relocated if food has been identified as a primary concern by students and staff?

Agriculture plays a dominant theme in the Trent Lands and Nature Areas Plan (see pages 56, 60, 90, 93, 144 of the Plan). The Trent Vegetable Garden (TVG) grows food for the Seasoned Spoon and brings agriculture into the core campus. The Apiary supports a healthy ecosystem and has the potential to support future academic courses. The inability to locate roadways or permanent infrastrucure in the MTO corridor requires Trent to plan for a road that exits Cleantech Commons to the East Bank of the campus, instead of out to 9th Line. Preliminary engineering drawings show that road affecting the location of the Trent Vegetable Garden & Apiary. While there is no timeframe for the construction of this road (it is not imminent) and site-specific studies will be needed to confirm the final route, it is prudent to consider options for the Trent Vegetable Garden & Apiary that protect them from future impacts and ensure they can thrive.

Working with the Trent Vegetable Gardens & Apiary staff and volunteers, two considerations have come forward in planning for a new location.

The value of accessibility to these spaces within the core campus, and;
the potential to consolidate Trent’s farm assets for synergies and access to shared resources.

One idea is moving the Trent Vegetable Garden to the relocated Trent Farm onto the existing farmland south of Pioneer Rd. However, exploration of other options on the core campus is ongoing. Trent has committed to providing the resources to prepare the land, including relocating the existing soil, and relocate the Trent Vegetable Garden and Apiary. Timelines for such a move will be developed by the Trent Vegetable Garden growers based on the need to prepare the land in the new location.

Why does the Plan propose relocating the Experimental Farm? Was the existing farmland at the Bolton homestead considered as a new location? The historic building could be restored, and a hub of community farming could be created there.

The Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems (SAFS) program has an exciting vision that the TLNAP embraces and advances. In fact, agriculture plays a dominant theme in the plan (see pages 56, 60, 90, 93, 144 of the Plan). Unfortunately, approximately half of the land is unsuitable for growing food due to seasonal saturation and steep slopes in some areas. Further, it is partly located within the MTO corridor which prevents permanent infrastructure being installed and if the MTO proceeded to construct the highway, this could impact long term research. Finally, the location is far away from servicing that could support needs of the farm (water, kitchen, greenhouse etc).

The Trent Lands and Nature Areas Plan planning team held a number of meetings with faculty and students from the School of the Environment and the SAFS program to explore a permanent, protected location for the farm that would allow for future expansion. Based on these conversations, the plan proposes locating the farm onto existing active farmland in the Wildlife Sanctuary Nature Area, south of Pioneer Road. Trent has committed to providing the resources to prepare the land and relocate the farm, and to working with SAFS on grants and donations to realize their broader vision for shared community and campus farm infrastructure such as an outdoor pavilion, teaching/ gathering space and kitchen/ preparation areas. The timelines for such a move will be developed by the SAFS program and growers based on the need to prepare the land in the new location.

The Bolton homestead (north of the existing Experimental Farm) has serious structural issues and is difficult to access. In the long-term future roadways may impact this location. However, we will explore possibilities for safe use of this building in the interim.

Current location:

Proposed location:

Is agriculture an appropriate use in the Nature Areas?

Agricultural uses are maintained where they are already present in the Nature Areas as they represent habitat diversity and support Species at Risk, and support the evolving perspective of agriculture as a key element of conservation and biodiversity. Trent’s vision for farming seeks to produce food sustainably, absorb carbon, mitigate climate change and demonstrate in-situ how sustainable farming can be ecologically sensitive and supportive.

Could you please define what’s included in “Trent Farm Assets”?

On-campus farm assets include the Trent Experimental Farm, the Trent Market Garden, the Trent Vegetable Garden, the Trent Apiary, and the Traditional Area Medicine Garden. The vision of the School of the Environment is that the Trent Farm will be a crucible within which Trent's strengths are brought together to leverage learnings, consolidate efforts, diversify production, enhance learning and engagement, and find synergies to grow a more resilient food system here in Peterborough.

What are the plans, if any, for the Canal Nature Area across from the Wildlife Sanctuary and how are these lands currently zoned?

Canal Nature Area is retained as a Nature Area and will be managed in accordance with the Nature Areas Stewardship Plan. Under the City's Official Plan, the area is part of the Natural Areas and Corridors designation (Schedule C).

Concerning University Drive, there have been prior sightings of endangered species living in the Sanctuary that require peaceful habitat and the ability to cross roads, but traffic, including dump trucks has increased. What considerations have been made around safe wildlife crossing and even better traffic reduction?

The Plan recognizes this is an area of concern for animal safety. The University is committed to working with City of Peterborough transportation staff to improve signage and road safety for all species. In addition, the Nature Areas Stewardship Plan makes the creation of healthy habitat for Species at Risk a priority.

What initiatives are being undertaken to implement the Nature Areas Stewardship Plan?

Trent will work with the Nature Areas Stewardship Advisory Committee on developing a systems-level plan to establish priorities, plans and metrics for implementation. Monitoring wetland health is a priority (some work is already underway) as is enhancing habitat for species at risk. Some specific priorities are outlined on page 147 of the Plan. Education will be enhanced through interpretive signage about the natural heritage features and Indigenous Traditional Knowledge and uses of the land. The Advancement office will be seeking grants and philanthropic support to maximize the actions we can undertake beyond existing resources.

Campus Developments

Where do things stand on the plan to build an arena jointly with the city? Would Trent develop the site on its own? What does the master plan show for development on this site?

The City of Peterborough has decided to build their arena elsewhere and is currently working to secure a location within the City. Trent has no plans to move forward with building an arena on its own.

During a Traditional Knowledge workshop in Phase 1 of the process, an Elder from Curve Lake suggested this site would be a good location for a traditional teaching lodge. That idea has been supported by the Elders & Traditional Knowledge Keepers Council. We will require external funding for this initiative, and in the meantime will collaborate with the First Peoples House of Learning, Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies, School of Education, Michi Saagiig and others on advancing the idea.

Does the master plan have more to say about the Sustainable Village other than that found on page 170 of the plan? If developed would the University continue to own the Peninsula lands and lease the space or would it sell it? Would there be limits on development such as height restrictions? What are the dimensions of the area proposed for a Sustainable Village?

The Sustainable Village is an idea that has been carried forward in previous iterations of the campus plans. The intent of the Sustainable Village is to contribute much-needed housing to the City, and do so a way that sets out high and perhaps new standards for environmental design. Simon Fraser UniverCity on Burnaby Mountain is a great example of what is possible. The University would seek to engage the campus and community to envision the plan.

The Trent Lands Plan is a high-level framework, meant to help guide and inform the future of the campus and hasn’t gone into site-specific details or planning. The Lands Plans lays out development guidelines that, along with detailed environmental studies, would inform a site plan including buffers from natural heritage, location of infrastructure, building heights and the like. The Peninsula Lands would remain in Trent’s ownership likely with a lease arrangement with future developers.

How was the Cleantech Commons location chosen? What sort of protection for groundwater flow and biodiversity are planned for this site, and why is 85 acres required?

The site chosen for the Cleantech Commons came through previous, public land planning exercises. Natural heritage studies, access and serviceability are key factors when selecting a site for any development or project. The site was free of significant natural features (is adjacent to but not on a wetland) is easy to access via existing routes, and was able to be serviced. The land reserved for Cleantech Commons allows for future expansion. Remembering this is a long term plan, and given there is almost no serviced employment lands in Peterborough, we want to ensure future opportunities for this park can be realized

Has the footprint of Cleantech Commons changed?

Cleantech Commons is an 85 acre research and innovation park. The size of the park has not changed from the 2013 Lands Plan, however, the footprint has been revised to exclude the area within the Ministry of Transportation's corridor (reserved for possible future highway), and accommodate ecological buffers around the Nassau Mills Wetland Complex. Learn more about the Cleantech Commons, intended to advance environmental research into adoption, and create experiential learning and jobs for students.

How was a 30 metre buffer chosen for Cleantech Commons?

Upon review of detailed environmental studies, Otonabee Conservation assessed a 30m buffer was needed between the provincially significant wetland and Cleantech Commons. The Cleantech Commons Master Plan also directs the use of low-impact development approaches for any buildings in the park, and to locate trails and other natural features along the buffer to set back buildings even further than the 30 metres. Further, Trent has invested in two additional measures to protect the health of the wetland: adding third party oversight of the site environmental controls (e.g. sediment fences) and we have initiated long term monitoring of the wetland with advice from the Michi Saagiig Consultation Liasons and Elders. Note, there is a common misperception that 120 metres is a maximum buffer and 30 metres is a minimum. That is not the case. 120 metres is simply the point at which studies must be undertaken to determine if development might have negative impacts on the natural features.

What is the MTO Corridor?

The MTO Corridor is land reserved by the Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO) for future extension of Hwy 115, along the 9th Line. While there are no concrete plans by the MTO to move forward with this extension in the near term, and it would require multiple studies before proceeding, it has been included in the Campus Vision Framework map as a future constraint that will impact campus planning. While it remains as a reserved corridor by the MTO, Trent is not able to locate any permanent infrastructure in the corridor. As a result, long term planning for access in and out of the Cleantech Commons requires us to identify a route for a road that connects through the East Bank rather than the 9th line (see page 102 of the Plan).

Why is there a new north-south road on the East Bank that bisects Trent's lands?

Pedestrianization of the East Bank water edge is a key priority of the plan, with consideration to reclaim the riverfront and convert the existing Nassau Mills Road into a multi-use trail as envisioned by the original Ron Thom master plan. This vision is consistent with the City of Peterborough’s goals and objectives to provide public access to the shoreline of the Otonabee River and Trent Severn Waterway. It will better protect the wetlands along the roadway from the impact of traffic, address safety concerns for cyclists, and allow for opportunities to recognize the Michi Saagiig and their connection to the river (Odoonabii-ziibi). The proposed new road replaces Nassau Mills Road and is intended to redirect through traffic off the Campus Core.

This idea emerged throughout the planning process from a number of discussions including the value of the river to indigenous peoples, the need to protect wetlands, transportation and accessibility challenges around the campus, and opportunities to increase access to the river on the East Bank.

See pages 40, 44-45, 102 in the Plan. As roadways are the responsibility of the City of Peterborough, Trent is sharing this proposal with the City for their consideration in the context of the North-end Trent University Area Class Environmental Assessment, currently underway to explore transportation and infrastructure improvement and needs.

When will the land designated "East Bank Lands" be developed?

As the TLNAP is a long term framework plan, there is no timeline for this idea of a complete community on the East Bank. There is currently no servicing (i.e. water, stormwater and wastewater) to these lands, and no plan to extend such servicing in the mid-term. This is simply an opportunity to identify lands that can meet future campus and community needs, especially for the purpose of City of Peterborough planning studies on future transportation and servicing infrastructure requirements.

How was the site west of Water Street chosen for the Seniors Village if considering guiding principles of social resilience and inclusion?

The core-campus is reserved for academic buildings, student housing, and core campus services. Initiatives that are primarily community infrastructure, such as the Seniors Village, will be located outside of the core campus, but all are close enough to allow easy connection to the campus. The location on the corner of Water Street and Woodland Avenue offers accessible transportation from both the City and County and, importantly, that land is currently serviced or serviceable, making it possible to move this project along and get new seniors housing into the market as soon as possible.

With the planned Seniors Village, has there been any discussion around rebuilding habitat for western chorus frog habitat, lost during the construction of the housing in the area?

Site-specific environmental studies for the Seniors Village will identify species and habitats, and how to avoid or reduce impact, as well as potential for enhancements and restoration.