With respect, these often…

With respect, these often secret approvals are usurping areas of decision-making that formerly were the responsibility of municipalities. Being issued without public consultation or at the in-camera request of a municipality with no input from their constituencies verges on trumpism. The Act has sent a strong message to the Ontario public that their opinion isn’t valuable, that experts don’t matter and that decisions enabling development are his alone. This allowing individual development proposals that may or may not have any support from local governments or the public smells of autocracy and is clearly undemocratic. This is a dark and possibly malevolent power exercised without any semblance of transparency. In addition to undermining and by-passing democratic decision making at the municipal level, the overuse of MZOs sends a message to developers that they can get approvals without having to worry about pesky issues like road access, water and sewer infrastructure, protection of the environment or whether new developments are actually wanted or needed by a community.
Although housing is a legitimate concern of government, it is difficult to understand why it matters to the Province that a municipality wants or does not want a business development approved of in secret and against the will of the residents who may have legitimate concerns for such things as water, air pollution, excess traffic with no infrastructure, lack of normal infrastructure, employment opportunities and so forth.
The remedy is to force municipalities to consult with the electorate and to have an open debate and decision-making process. It should be incumbent on the municipality to file a brief as to the public consultations just as it should be required of the Ministry to ensure it has been done by publishing a Notice of Intent in the local media and on its website. Usurp the Planning Act process if you insist, but please do not take away the right of the residents of a municipality to have their say at proper hearings of the Council and for the local Council to be properly consulted and heard. The ability to bypass the planning process for business development, as opposed to the need for reasonably priced housing, cannot be rationalized in any manner. Respectfully yours