The proposal to revise the…

The proposal to revise the City of Toronto Act to eliminate the ability to secure sustainable and exterior design elements through site plan control defeats the stated purpose of the More Homes Built Faster Act, namely that everyone in Ontario should be able to find a home that their family's needs, "that is right for them."

As home heating and cooling costs escalate, partly due to inflation but more due to climate change, it is more important than ever that all new homes being built offer the lowest possible heating and cooling costs AND the lowest possible greenhouse gas emissions. We must be solving the climate crisis with every new house we build.

Establishing Green Development Standards which require low greenhouse gas emissions and high energy efficiency is essential if the homes we build are to meet families' needs now and in the future.

Removing the ability to secure exterior design features and elements through site plan approval from the City of Toronto Act sets a dangerous, and very discouraging, precedent for the rest of the province.

All municipalities need to be establishing Green Development Standards similar to , or better than, the ones the City of Toronto has developed. When the nations of the world are agreeing they must figure out how to compensate victims of climate change, it is essential Ontario take every step possible to prevent the climate crisis worsening. Green Development Standards are one way to do this.

The proposal to eliminate Toronto's ability to implement Green Development Standards must be reversed. Instead of being cancelled, it should be made mandatory for every Ontario municipality to secure sustainable and exterior design elements through site plan control.