NOT EVERYONE LIKES TURTLES? Op-Ed- This is how the City of Ottawa is spending $700G of your money Fence put up along along Dwyer Hill Rd. to protect endangered species - via Herp Digest

By Susan Sherring, Ottawa Sun- Wednesday, December 09, 2015 11:12 AM EST

Hail the hallowed turtle.

In an effort to protect the Blanding's turtle, the city spent $700,000 erecting a turtle fence on Dwyer Hill Rd.

And city staff believe many more hundreds of thousands of dollars will be spent doing the same across the city -- all at taxpayers' expense -- to protect endangered species.

West Carleton-March Coun. Eli El-Chantiry said the expense of the fence in his ward means fewer dollars for fixing potholes and erecting traffic signals.

(The city's corporate communications department put the cost of the fence at $480,000, but as El-Chantiry rightly points out, that's just for the physical aspect of the structure and doesn't include the work needed before construction.)

The fences are mandated by the province under the Endangered Species Act.

Good to know that in a city where we don't have enough affordable housing for the most vulnerable, that our turtles are being protected.

According to city staff, the affected portion of the road, which is near the intersecton with Dwyer Hill Rd. passes through a wetland provincially identified as a habitat for the Blanding's turtle.

Who knew the Blanding's turtle is a provincially and nationally threatened species? The primary threat to Blanding's turtle is road mortality. The fencing and wildlife passages are intended to eliminate that threat at this location.

And if mandating a turtle fence isn't bad enough, read about and weep for the requirements for the fence. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry guidelines call for fencing to be buried approximately 10 to 20 centimetres below ground and 40 cm above ground and include overhangs or extended lips. Long-term or permanent fencing projects require durable materials such as heavy-duty geotextile, wood, concrete, woven-wire, sheet metal, vinyl panels or galvanized mesh.

So clearly, the $700,000 fence is just the tip of the iceberg hoisted on the lowly taxpayer. Imagine the costs for a room full of provincial bureaucrats sitting in a room with a view, spending hours coming up with those requirements, taking time out to order lunch on our dime of course! Painful.

"I thought it was very costly," El-Chantiry told the Sun on Tuesday. "And we can't do anything about it. People want to know what's more important, spending $700.000 on fixing roads and potholes or a turtle fence. There's a lot of bad feelings."

That's an understatement.

What's the city to do? Frustration clearly reigns.

Worse yet, not everyone is convinced the turtle fence is the most efficient or effective way to go.

There have been documented cases of turtles getting caught in the fence -- and dying. And even the most diehard of environmentalists have to wonder if the costs couldn't be better managed.

Frightening isn't it?

And yes, it's only going to get worse.

"Although the new provincial Endangered Species Act came into effect in 2008, habitat protection for most of the listed endangered and threatened species only took effect in 2013," the city states.

"The City of Ottawa includes extensive areas of habitat for endangered and threatened species, in both urban and rural settings. Therefore, in cases where our roads and other infrastructure cross through this habitat, we must now ensure that our construction and maintenance projects are carried out in compliance with the act. The list of species protected under the act also continues to change over time, with new endangered and threatened species being added periodically."

Speaking of endangered species, we should probably include the disappearing common sense politician on that list.