Yes, Ontario needs more…

Yes, Ontario needs more housing. We especially need housing for those with low or mid-level incomes. Huge homes in spreading subdivisions carved out of greenbelt lands, filled-in wetlands and conservation authority lands are only options for the wealthy. The wealthy are not housing insecure.
Inclusionary zoning should be extended. Five or six story apartment complexes with retail on the first floor could be the basis of walkable, pleasant communities. If these were built, with decent size units, with green space in the vicinity, retirees might wish to move from homes that are getting too large for them to want to manage.
Renters need more protections, not less. Replacement by-laws should not be weakened. Municipalities should not lose their ability to regulate tenant protections and to build affordable housing. It does make sense to exempt non-profits and those building affordable homes from development charges. If developers building high price and market price homes are exempt from paying development charges, municipalities will find it even more difficult to provide and sustain infrastructure.
Bill 23 will benefit only wealthy developers and investors. Ontario residents needing affordable housing will find their options even more limited.
The strong mayor concept, giving one official the power to make vital decisions affecting the lives of citizens while taking away their right to comment, is antithetical to the ideal of a thriving democracy