ERO number 019-6813 - Review…

ERO number 019-6813 - Review of proposed policies adapted from A Place to Grow and Provincial Policy Statement to form a new provincial planning policy instrument.
Thank you for removing the changes which would have allowed lot severances on prime agricultural land.
The existing Provincial Policy Statement and A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe were developed over the course of years with much consultation.
The new policy plan that the government is proposing would weaken the protections provided by these policies. Mandatory intensification would be eliminated; municipalities could expand settlement areas without ensuring the protection of natural areas. Lands subject to a MZO would no longer need to comply with official plans.
Affordable housing is needed but there is already enough land set aside for development. The new policies, if enacted, would weaken smart growth. The proposed policies would obstruct the provincial goal of building along transit lines leading to even more need for new roads, car-dependency, and air pollution.
The new policies would not result in more affordable homes being built. The proposed policies would lead to more sprawl, less livable communities, fewer natural areas and many less well-off Ontario residents unable to find adequate places to live.