Dear Mr. Premier and MPPs We…

Dear Mr. Premier and MPPs

We are deeply concerned by the impending Zoning Orders that you are planning to enforce with the provinces TOC legislation regarding the developer known as Distrikt. Here are our concerns:

1. You are planning to sole-source this deal without the normal competitive bidding process used for large developments, once again with no explanation why. (mk- I think this is true, not sure)
2. You are planning to sole-source this deal to an individual with a shell company that is largely unknown in the development community. At a likely value of $6.4 billion this is highly unusual and begs the question of how was this individual selected for such a large project.
3. You plan to force this deal through in a matter of weeks when by his own admission the developer doesn’t plan to put a shovel in the ground for five years. what is the urgency? There has be absolutely no clarity from your government on this issue.
4. the province’s own guidelines for using such special zoning orders specify that they should only be used when time is of the essence. Five years until the first shovel hits the ground does not appear to meet the time is of the essence criteria. Why are you in such a hurry for this particular developer?
5. To the previous point, much can happen to the economy in the next five years including changes to immigration patterns and economic conditions. The province would better be served by waiting for most of those five years before approving a project that may or not meet Ontario’s goals at that time. Once again, why the rush to do this now?
6. Finally, there has been an overarching level of secrecy on this deal from the province. Local politicians have had a difficult time getting any concrete information relative to how the province sees this deal and why it is in such a hurry to nail it shut. Such secrecy gives rise to concerns that would be terrible if true, so why not be more transparent and follow your own province’s guidelines in this process.
In summary, please explain why the local development plan that meets all your requirements is no longer acceptable to you. Such an explanation, delivered publicly so the population can see why you want to ignore your own guidelines, why you want to award a contract in several weeks that won’t start building for five years, and why a $6 billion contract has to be kept a secret from the public whom you were elected to serve.
Yours truly etc.