Hi there, I am displeased…

Hi there,

I am displeased with the proposed changes to the Planning Act, and the enactment of Bill 197. The below changes are disingenuous and seeks to expand the unchecked power of the Minister's Zoning Order. This provincial administration has not demonstrated a commitment to affordable housing for change 1 to feel genuine (just look at the lifting of the eviction ban, and the MZO on the Foundry site). This administration's blatant disregard for the lives of essential workers is generously demonstrated both in health care settings, but also in construction. The continuous push for non-essential construction and evicting vulnerable peoples during a pandemic feels counter to the "promise" of inclusionary zoning (which might I remind that the province took away from municipalities). And I regard change 1 as a false front to push for the more egregious changes of #2 and #3.

The removal of site plan control in the case of MZOs further takes away the municipality's checks and balances for equitable urban development. The MZO, and the recent exponential use of the MZO on mixed-use developments, further the development/profit-first mentality of this administration and their lobbyists' interests over what they perceive as "red tape." This change takes away the community's control in the development of their communities (making sure a building fits within the character of the neighbourhood, etc) and I see this as an unnecessary expansion of the MZO.

The final point retroactively changes the terms of an MZO without notice. This further erodes the community's control over local development.

For all of the aforementioned reasons, paired with this administration's incompetence and demolition-happy approach to city building, I do not believe the listed changes will be applied with the interests of the people at heart. If the premier and office of municipal affairs and housing care about affordable housing, they should roll-back the downloading of responsibilities from the Harris era, and actually invest in affordable housing.

1. require inclusionary zoning affordable housing (inclusionary zoning),
2. remove municipal use of site plan control and require agreements between the municipality and development proponent (or landowner) concerning site plan matters, and;
3. make amendments to Minister’s Zoning Orders that use any of these enhanced authorities without first giving public notice.