We are concerned volunteers…

We are concerned volunteers of the Burlington Community Climate Action Hub, a resident-driven, non-partisan community movement focused on local climate action. We are also voters, constituents, parents, grandparents, and resident taxpayers of Ontario, and we are both concerned and disturbed by the enactment and content of Bill 23, the “More Homes Built Faster Act”, and its implications for our communities.

There are experts who have already voiced their concerns about Bill 23, which threatens Ontario’s Greenbelt and further emasculates Conservation Authorities. This puts at risk vital wetlands, and has already been used to expand Halton and Hamilton urban boundaries which will result in further harmful sprawl that threatens climate resilience. We are writing today with serious concerns about the process being applied to this piece of legislation which tramples on local democratic processes, overrides approved Official Plans, and thwarts municipalities’ efforts to meet population growth targets while achieving those of their climate action plans.

While we understand and support the need to accommodate current and future population growth and produce solutions to our housing crisis, it is crucial that these solutions also foster safe, affordable, and complete communities that protect and preserve our natural environment for future generations. We are at an inflection point, and must be able to look beyond the crisis at hand. Simplistic urban design that relies on 20th century sprawl strategies will not provide the kind of smart green development that we need in the 21st century. We must work hand in hand with developers to create jobs, economic benefit and affordable homes that don’t bankrupt our common future.

When we look at the bigger picture, we see a provincial government that has not grasped the urgency of the climate change problem. The decision to support costly sprawl instead of sustainable and equitable development is not just short-sighted; it is irreversible. Once we pave over farmland that can feed us and wetlands that support biodiversity and mitigate flooding, these assets are lost forever. Progressive municipalities have understood this, and have decided to develop within urban boundaries to create green and healthy cities and lessen the tax burden on residents.

We are speaking up to tell the Government of Ontario that our trust in those who should be working on our behalf to adopt innovative solutions to housing affordability while encouraging smart, complete communities is severely eroded. This government’s unilateral action and undemocratic disregard for what residents, through our local governments, have voted for is not just disrespectful, it is outright harmful to our collective future. We are asking that the elements of Bill 23 that have taken away environmental protections and stewardship be removed, and that this government immediately repeal its decision to overturn Hamilton’s and Halton’s vote to develop within existing boundaries. Trust is a two-way relationship: we cannot trust the Province, if the Province does not trust us to know what is best for our communities. Please act now to restore the trust that will be needed to create a better future for us all.

On behalf of the Burlington Community Climate Action Hub