Ecological and Environmental Advisory Committee (EEAC)
Membership · Contact · Upcoming Meetings
Ecological and Environmental Advisory Committee is a technical advisory committee appointed by Regional Council. It has a broad mandate to provide information and advice on environmental matters of interest to Regional Niagara. It has been in existence since 1983.
Committee Composition
The Committee is made up of nineteen local residents with environmental expertise plus up to five members of Council. The local residents have expertise in a variety of environmentally related fields: biology and natural history; forestry; engineering; chemistry; hydrology (surface water) and hydrogeology (ground water); and environmental planning. They are appointed by Regional Council and serve as unpaid volunteers. The Regional Councillors serving on the Committee provide a direct link between Ecological and Environmental Advisory Committee and Council. Typically the Committee meets on the fourth Thursday of each month and the meetings are open to the public.
The Committee provides information and advice to Regional Council, standing committees and staff through its reports and recommendations. It deals primarily with topics related to planning, public works and health services such as:
- Review of major development proposals (e.g. golf courses, subdivisions, pits and quarries);
- Proposed Amendments to the Regional Policy Plan;
- Watershed plans;
- Woodland management and the Regional Tree By-Law;
- Tree planting and roadside naturalization;
- Water resources, such as the Niagara Water Quality Protection Strategy;
- Water supply and sewage treatment;
- Transportation planning; and
- Environmental health (e.g. West Nile Virus, pesticide use).