Regarding the Green Belt,…

Regarding the Green Belt, there is already enough room in the areas Zoned for future housing to meet the Housing Requirements that Premier Doug Ford has planned, without opening up the Green Belt. This approach makes a mockery of all the time, resources and money spent in establishing Regional and Local Official Plans. We all agree on the need for additional housing. If the Premier felt he needed to force the issue, then he needed to drop the hammer on all the municipal governments to speed up development in existing designated areas and utilize available tools including infilling, rather than letting developer friends / financial supporters develop new lands that were never in the scope for development. This smells of hypocrisy if not downright corruption. It will take many years for the Premier to clear the air from this stink. This decision has obliterated years of effort on the part of local and regional councils, municipal and provincial planning departments, communities and environmental stakeholders.

Regarding Lake and River frontage, the potential impact of Bill 23 (doing away with Site Planning for developments of 10 or less housing units) on shorelines, water quality and fish and wildlife habitat is enormous. Regional local councils in our Riding have worked to plan for development that is environmentally sustainable, for the one substantial resource we have is the natural environment and landscapes (forests, lakes and rivers) that attract the cottagers, tourists and recreational resorts that in turn is the meat for the many businesses, contractors and developers. We are killing the golden goose if we fail to ensure sustainable development. Development CAN BE ACHIEVED sustainably with no additional expense provided we approach it with the right mindset and effort is directed to it. I can validate this as I have worked my entire career in the field of environmental sustainability and reducing impacts.

It would appear that this Bill was slapped together without due consideration for any other factors other than total number of housing units that can be built and certainly with no due respect for existing planning and environmental regulations. Shame on Doug Ford and the PC Party for acting so autocratically.