One of the biggest barriers…

One of the biggest barriers and delays to increasing the supply of housing and diversifying the types of housing built in existing neighbourhoods is conservation authority policies that strictly regulate new development on vacant lots of record. Conservation authority policies disregard residential intensification or existing development trends in highly urbanized areas. Therefore, vacant properties that are zoned for residential development/single-unit detached homes have no "as-of-right" to develop when a conservation authority refuses permits.

Conservation policies for vacant lots is one of the most restrictive policies, and conflicts with municipal zoning and typical exemptions found in official plans, as well provincial plans such as the Greenbelt Plan and Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan. This conflict is causing significant delays, added cost and in most cases, a complete loss of property value. Core urban land should be available for new housing, and not left vacant as an unproductive investment property.

I urge the Ministry to put an end to this injustice, and offer hard-working Ontarians greater flexibility to develop on their vacant land that is regulated by conservation authorities.

Thank You