We’ll cut right to the chase…

We’ll cut right to the chase: the Countryside Line is at risk of being destroyed.

Waterloo’s Regional Official Plan, which sets out the boundaries of the Line, was just updated after two years of collaboration between the Region, all 7 cities and townships, community groups, First Nations, and provincial staff.

It’s a growth plan that we can all can get behind, with a vision for 15-minute communities where everyone can meet their daily needs close to home, and where it’s convenient to walk, cycle, and take transit. It’s a plan to welcome 125,000 new residents over the next 10 years, without breaching the Countryside Line.

Now, we’re waiting for the Province to approve it. But instead of giving the green light, they’ve threatened to remove Waterloo Region’s planning authority completely.

The proposed Bill 23 claims to be about “More Homes Built Faster”. That’s a lie. It could put the entire Regional Official Plan at risk, including the Countryside Line itself. It would remove protections for renters. It would reduce the amount of affordable housing in new buildings.

We know that opening up the countryside to more sprawl won’t solve our housing crisis, especially not if affordability standards are removed. We know this because, in Waterloo Region, developers are sitting on land for 19,000 homes that has been fully approved, but no construction has begun.

We agree that we we need to build more homes and welcome more neighbours. We can do that by allowing duplexes, triplexes, townhomes, and low-rise apartments everywhere within our existing built-up areas. In fact, Waterloo Region’s new Official Plan includes exactly these policies for “missing middle” housing! If the Province was serious about building new homes, it should approve our plan, not throw it out the window.