There is no doubt that the…

There is no doubt that the provision of more housing, especially affordable housing, in growing regions of Ontario is important and it's good that this government recognizes that and is motivated to do something about it. Many of the proposed measures described on the web page for this 019-6813 seem sensible on the surface. Regrettably, the government seems determined to carry this out in a highly objectionable manner with steps that are both unnecessary and harmful.

It's nice to have the option to provide references but it hardly seems necessary. Open any newspaper on almost any day going back to late 2022 and it's easy to find reporting on the many faults with this government's plan. You have at least backed away (or so you claim) from enabling multi-home development on farmland. (Where do you think the food is going to come from to feed this huge increase in population?) Now, before it's too late, scrap the rest of your ill-advised ideas.

- Developing portions of the Green Belt. Everything about this has the stink of backroom dealings with developer friends. First, while campaigning to be leader, the now-premier proposed to allow development. After strenuous criticism, he promised to leave it alone. How curious that the developers would go ahead and buy the land anyway. Then -- surprise -- once in power, promise broken, development is on again. Massive profits for developers and evacuation of public investment.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ford-wynne-greenbelt-development…
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-ontario-greenbelt-plan-o…

- False claims that it's necessary to open more development land. Your own government's industry-led task force, as well as others, (e.g. Regional Planning Commissioners of Ontario) have shown that there are already enough housing units in the approval pipeline. "There is not by any stretch of the imagination a case to be made that we need more land designated for housing in order to meet that 1.5 million threshold." (Quote by the Ontario environment program manager of Environmental Defence)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-ontario-greenbelt-lands-…

One wonders if part of the agenda is to justify the ridiculous Highway 413 by building subdivisions in the Green Belt and then saying see, we need another highway to serve all those residential areas.

- Will you really back away from subdividing farms? Apparently you've said so, yet it is reported that subsequent revisions to the proposal still call for it.

https://www.observerxtra.com/rally-against-urban-sprawl-draws-100-to-pr…

- Again helping developers at the expense of "the little guy" whom you claim to support, you intend to shift development fees away from developers and onto municipal taxpayers. You are so much against taxes that you like to falsely claim that pricing on carbon is a tax, yet here is a policy that will require municipalities to increase taxes to cover the costs that you have excused developers from paying.

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-passes-housing-bill-despite-criticis…

- In an affront to democracy and decades of planning informed by local expertise and knowledge, you order municipalities to allow sprawl with no appeals possible. My region has many years of careful planning to preserve farmland, the aquifers we rely on for water, and undisturbed spaces for wildlife. Yet you presume to override this and impose your agenda. How carefully did you evaluate the plans that these regions have made? On what basis do you vacate them and dictate your own? Almost 5000 acres of farmland and green space in my region forced to become subdivisions.

https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-waterloo-sprawl-farmland/

Stop it now. Before it's too late.