Bill 23, More Homes Built…

Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 Act’s intent to increase housing in Ontario for low-income, young Canadians, and new Canadians is admirable – Premier Ford is a man of action and understands the need. However, after reading extensively on Bill 23 and the concerns raised by various authorities on the environmental impact of these changes to our greenbelt,
I am imploring you to not proceed with the proposed amendments.

Our elected politicians and support staff are custodians of Ontario – oaths were taken to protect the interest of the public and Ontario as a whole. It is your moral obligation as an elected official to do just that, and not accept short-term solutions. Have you ever seen such a backlash from organizations across Ontario on Bill 23 and the devastating effects? I don’t recall a more controversial bill other than Free Trade and HST enacted by Prime Minister Mulroney.

The housing crisis faced in Ontario must be planned by all our elected officials working collectively on innovative solutions to increase housing availability that is sustainable to our food security and the environment. Europeans have been doing this for decades as they do not have the land Ontario and Canada has. Let’s not take the easy approach and absorb our farmlands or virgin lands for housing and the supporting infrastructures such as roads.

Why not work with the housing developers on innovative solutions to work within the city borders vs farmland absorption? Give them huge bonuses or tax credits for developing a net-zero building on existing property – renovating an existing building, adding thermal heating, being near public transport. Housing is needed where the work is, especially for trades, service industry, not in rural areas.

The cost of building homes by re-evaluating 7400 acres of farmlands in the Greater Golden Horseshoe area, and a further 1600 acres in the Ottawa region to expand housing developments is not sustainable for the future of Ontario and Canada for these main reasons:

• Farmlands in Ontario are reduced by 321 acres a day in Ontario , food security is at risk both for Ontario and Canada. Farmlands are a much higher value on what they provide as food security vs the commercial land value or housing value. Once developed, the prime fertile land is lost. CBC calculates an average farmland is lost every day in Ontario – that is 365 farms a year, 3650 farms in 10 years – flat out this is unsustainable. This fact alone should put all of Bill 23 on hold.
• By reducing available farmlands, increasing the value of existing farmlands. This is not sustainable, leaving land open to more development unless agriculture zoning is strictly enforced.