More Housing? Yes!…

Commentaire

More Housing? Yes!
Streamlined planning process? Yes!
What COULD you DO to achieve these GOALS ... PLUS?
* END exclusionary zoning — enough already!
* Allow even MORE housing units on existing ‘super-sized’ residential lots.
* Encourage housing developments on (already serviced) brownfield lots.
* Ditch ‘McMansions’ — limit home sizes. (We Boomers grew up just fine in 1,100 to1,400ft2.)
* Combine the BEST, most protective parts of the PPS, Growth Plan, Niagara Escarpment Plan.
* Set NO upper limit on ‘affordable/inclusionary zoning’ — let cities work to do their best!
* Encourage (vs eliminate) Green Development Standards — to combat climate chaos and costs.
* Keep all Upper Tier planning approval powers — to maximize growth efficiency, safely.
* Respect science! Recognize ‘wetland offsetting’ and ‘net positive impact’ ... are bogus myths.
* STET the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System — ‘complex’ & ‘pollution’ are key components!
* Realize & reinforce (vs remove) natural infrastructure benefits of our Natural Heritage System.
* Push for transit- and retail-supported densities—liveable, affordable, 15-min commute housing.

You were ON the right track ...
You mandated cities/towns/regions prepare for growth levels (set by you) in new Official Plans.
They complied — figured out where and how enough housing could be accommodated — with
minimal urban sprawl, loss of farmland, destruction of natural environment, or risk to clean H2O.
If your goal was truly more housing? You would have respected and approved these plans.

Instead? You repealed/modified — imposed urban boundary expansions — needlessly.
Now Bill 23 (and your Greenbelt destruction scheme) ... Imposes turning vast amounts of
protected woodlands, wetlands and wildlife habitat (owned by speculators who bought cheap,
decades ago) into ‘developable’ land — creating risks to life, property, Natural Heritage Systems
— for no justifiable reason ... Imposes farm-eating sprawl — removing local produce from our
food supply ... Cancels municipal green building standards — removing cost and sustainability
benefits (less water/energy/resources/impact) ... All in the name of “More Housing Built Faster.”

As for Streamlining? As it stands, Bill 23 will ‘slash and burn’ destroy good planning —
bully-dozing environmentally, socially, and economically responsible proven practices in place.
The only certainty? More approvals of sub-standard developments that will come back to haunt!

There’s nothing ‘affordable’ about Bill 23. We will pay in many ways—for generations to come!
Ontario is YOURS to PROTECT. You promised to DO that ... Time to Deliver — for REAL.