I am writing to express my…

I am writing to express my concern about the Ford Governments proposed community benefits charge authority and regulation under the Planning Act.

Firstly I expect Mr Ford's Government's to uphold their promise that any changes to community benefits would be revenue neutral so that municipalities can continue to provide libraries, parks, recreation centres, affordable childcare, housing and other amenities that you care about.

Secondly - I wish to stress it is essential that developments are associated with infrastructural changes to support the new population and to ensure that both the new and older residents have access to essential services.
Whether components of infrastructure are covered under a development charge or a community benefits charge is less important than ensuring that essential components are covered. Essential components are such things as: hydro and sewage, green space (parkland), schools, transport, daycare, healthcare.
What is essential for different communities with different amounts of development will differ. In a city like Toronto with massive growth - transport, healthcare, day care, outside space are essential elements that must be provided.

It is very concerning that this government’s proposal suggests that if municipalities move forward with a CBC they would lose the ability to require parkland from developers. The Parkland Dedication provision has allowed the City of Toronto to provide much-needed green space for local residents. Without the dedication provision, it will be very difficult to purchase new park space in many Toronto communities due to soaring land prices.

It is also not appropriate that this proposal appears to allow developers to recover interest on levies under the CBC in the event of a successful appeal at the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT), since this provision will provide the building industry with even more leverage in development application negotiations.

The Community Benefits Charge looks like another Doug Ford giveaway to his developer supporters, at the expense of the people of Ontario and their communities. The CBC does not provide a single new tool to increase the supply of affordable housing, despite claims from the province and their friends in the development industry. Municipalities will see their ability to provide services such as parks, daycares, recreation facilities, and libraries reduced. These amenities are essential to ensuring that the communities most affected by rapid growth are able to enjoy a high quality of life.