While I generally support…

While I generally support the More Homes Built Faster Act, I have some concerns around a few things that I think should be revised or removed from the bill. The changes to the OWES and removing power from conservation authorities are chief among these. Wetlands are not what are getting in the way of affordable housing, and we shouldn't be building on them. What is getting in the way of affordable housing in this province are restrictive bylaws, lengthy approval times, high developer fees, and municipalities / residents groups who block new development. The bill makes a step in the right direction toward addressing many of these problems, which is why I mostly support it, although I think it should go further by removing height limits, setback requirements, and other bylaws that restrict building forms. I think as a province, we need to find a way to make better use of low-density spaces like defunct malls, underused industrial areas, strip malls, spaces above train corridors, and other places where we can add density before trying to build into the greenbelt or on wetlands.