Are We Good Stewards?

Much can be said about the current state of our town, but watching what has occurred over the last two decades, I find myself asking: are we not only losing the identity of our town, but also carelessly tending to one of Canada’s greatest natural assets?

As a real estate broker, I understand better than most that growth is inevitable. Communities evolve, populations increase, and infrastructure expands. But with a proposed highway cutting through a delicate ecosystem, prime farmland disappearing to development, and cannabis operations replacing agricultural land, I believe we are entering uncharted territory in Bradford.

There seems to be an ongoing struggle between the rich agricultural roots that built this community and the rapid development that has reshaped it. The question is no longer whether Bradford will grow. It will. The real question is whether we are growing in a way that still aligns with who we are and who we want to be.

According to the Holland Marsh Growers Association, the Holland Marsh occupies approximately 2,833 hectares of primarily organic soil and is protected by a 28-kilometre canal and dyke system designed to prevent stormwater and upstream drainage from entering this highly sensitive agricultural area. What remains is some of the most fertile soil in the country, capable of producing vegetables that end up on dinner tables across Ontario and throughout Canada.

Yet we continue to build around it, on it, and over it.

I cannot help but think back to something I learned as a child in Girl Guides: you were only supposed to choose one. “If you can’t go over it, if you can’t go under it, then you have to go through it.”

Simple childhood wisdom, perhaps. But maybe there was something to it. Because when it comes to our natural resources and town, it feels as though we are attempting all three at once.

Bradford has placed employment lands directly beside the Marsh, while the Province of Ontario continues moving forward with Highway 400 and 413 corridor expansions, along with the proposed Bradford Bypass, a project that will cross directly through the Lake Simcoe watershed.

Population growth projections continue to soar. More people. More traffic. More industry. More pressure. And while growth may bring economic opportunity, it also raises important questions about our town’s responsibility and long-term environmental impact.

Lake Simcoe is one of Ontario’s most significant freshwater systems. It supports tourism, agriculture, recreation, fisheries, wildlife habitats, and the broader environmental health of an enormous region of Southern Ontario. Its wetlands and tributaries play a critical role in flood mitigation, water filtration, and ecological balance.

What happens around the Marsh and Lake Simcoe does not simply stay there. Increased runoff, road salt, development pressure, and environmental disruption all have downstream consequences, many of which may not be fully understood for decades.

I think back to the fields and marshland I explored as a child near the Sixth Line. I watched land that once flooded naturally transformed over time by endless backfilling and elevation changes to support subdivisions that were built storeys above what once existed there. And I cannot help but ask: are we truly planning responsibly, or are we sacrificing long-term food security and the character of our town for short-term growth? Because the seeds we sow today will shape this community for generations to come.

Especially when there is still vast land to the west and northwest of Bradford.

Bradford’s natural resources are not just empty land waiting for expansion. The Holland Marsh is history. The health of Lake Simcoe is imperative. These landscapes are tied to our economy, our food security, and the very identity of our community. They helped build Bradford into what it is today.

Good stewardship means understanding that not every acre should simply be viewed as an opportunity for growth, and that growth itself must be planned with careful consideration for the community, its character, and the natural resources entrusted to it.

There is an incredible privilege in living in a community responsible for the care of lands as significant as the Holland Marsh and the watershed of Lake Simcoe. These are not ordinary landscapes. They are nationally important agricultural lands, environmentally sensitive ecosystems, and part of the natural legacy that defines Bradford.

Very few communities in Canada are entrusted with resources of this magnitude.

And with that privilege comes responsibility.

Sometimes the greatest responsibility a community has is knowing what must be protected. Not just for today, but for future generations. Because long after developments, councils, and political terms come and go, the decisions we make today will determine whether these lands continue to sustain, feed, and define our community for generations to come.

— Steph Sinclair

Candidate for Deputy Mayor, Bradford West Gwillimbury

May 15th, 2026