Parks and Recreation Ontario…

Parks and Recreation Ontario supports the government’s plan to make housing more attainable for Ontarians through increased housing options, while still protecting the province’s cultural heritage assets and environmentally sensitive areas.

However, PRO and its municipal members are concerned that the changes proposed in Bill 108 may not support these objectives. The amendments could have a significant negative impact on people in Ontario.

Bill 108 as proposed by the government fundamentally affects municipalities’ ability to plan and build complete, livable communities as outlined in the recently amended Growth Plan and the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS). In particular, the elimination of discounted soft services from the Development Charges Act, along with the changes to sections 37 and 42 of the Planning Act, will limit municipalities’ capacity to provide adequate and equitable park, recreation, library and other infrastructure to their residents. These are the community assets that enhance quality of life and provide economic benefit to both the municipality and the province.

Please see the attachments for the full submission.