Bill 97 continues to expand…

Bill 97 continues to expand access to land outside of municipalities, over farmland, wetlands (critical for flood control), forests, and vital habitat areas. This is in direct opposition to regional and municipal plans that encourage use of property already available to municipalities for building, and that encourage development along existing public transport and utility corridors.

Here are the major points that have deeply concerned Farmers, city planners, and environmentalists:

· Bill 97 requires landowners and municipalities to enter into agreements in regards to the purpose of their land, where a Provincial Land Development Facilitator has been appointed by Housing Minister Herb Clark.

(There are serious concerns about the appointment of an unelected individual who can override and change city laws that are decided by elected officials that answer to residents.)

· Bill 97 makes the provincial Ministerial Zoning Order (MZOs) even stronger, giving the Minister the ability to exempt MZO-designated lands from other provincial policies and official plans, such as farmland and wetland preservation, to develop. MZOs can’t be appealed, and do not require public consultation before approval.

· Bill 97 gives the Minister the power to amend municipal official plans. There is no process set out in the Act for notice or consultation prior to making such a decision. As such, this appears to be the official plan equivalent of a Minister’s zoning order.

· Concern continues that housing developments outside municipalities encourage sprawl, while not lowering housing costs. The focus is on getting more housing built, not on increasing the supply of affordable housing. Those who can afford single family homes in rural housing developments, and the transportation costs necessary, are not those who desperately require affordable housing.

· Lastly, it is worth noting that continued removal of agricultural land from food production to housing sprawl threatens food security. If we are unable to feed our Ontario population without importing food from points distant, we place our food supply at risk, are dependent on increased transport climate effects and cost, and ultimately increase our own food costs.