Bill 23, as presented, fails…

Bill 23, as presented, fails to address the stated goals of increasing housing supply, housing affordability, and improved process and instead will result in the loss of environmental protections, heritage conservation, urban design, and accountability to the public, in addition to severe financial implications for the City of St. Catharines and Region of Niagara, as follows:
a. Removing conservation of land and protection of significant environmental features, allowing development within protected areas worthy of protection.
b. Limiting tools for conservation of heritage resources.
c. Removal of primary quality control mechanism to promote good design.
d. Loss of cohesive Regional systems oversight with the removal of the Region of Niagara from review and approval of planning applications and Official Plan creation.
e. Elimination of appeal rights for the public on Planning Act applications and reduction in overall public consultation and involvement.
f. Transfer of financial responsibility from private developers to the individual property taxpayer.
g. 73% of the City’s projected growth for the next 30 years is now to be accommodated in 10 years, despite the building industry’s inability to deliver.

Council for the City of St. Catharines requests the Province defer passage of Bill 23 until such time as further evaluation, analysis, and meaningful consultation has occurred with municipalities, AMO, Niagara Region, ROMA, RPC, NPCA, Conservation Ontario, OPPI, MFOA, and OBCM.

Council for the City of St. Catharines strongly recommends that substantial Provincial investment be provided to support municipalities to fund anticipated infrastructure upgrades to accommodate new intensification goals and compensate for decrease of development charge funding opportunities as outlined in the proposed legislation.