Please approve Waterloo…

Please approve Waterloo Region's Official Plan Amendment 6.

There are truly so many good reasons why the ERO and Government of Ontario should APPROVE (not change) Waterloo Region's Official Plan. For me, these include among many others:

- because I save money by buying locally produced food (and the Waterloo Region Official Plan will protect this)
- because my family is healthier from eating food grown locally, by people I can know and trust
- because building inside the city limits will mean people don't have to drive everywhere and can save money they'd otherwise have to spend on gas
- because it respects the citizens of Waterloo Region and our local democratic process: all but one of our 17 elected representatives voted for the Regional Official Plan Amendment 6. Thousands of citizens across Waterloo Region support the Official Plan and many worked hard to have it approved - a fair democratic process would respect the efforts and wishes of citizens throughout Waterloo Region, and our elected officials, who have already approved this plan.
- because it fights climate change. It will reduce traffic emissions, the biggest source of greenhouse gases in Waterloo Region

Waterloo Region's Official Plan Amendment No. 6 was approved by Regional Council in August, and it plans to accommodate 125,000 homes by 2031. Bill 23's target for Waterloo Region is only 70,000. We are clearly already pulling our weight as a region when it comes to welcoming new neighbours.

We know that forcing urban area expansions won’t help solve our housing crisis. In Waterloo Region, developers are sitting on land for 19,000 homes that has been fully approved and are ready for housing, but no construction has begun. Local planning policy is not to blame for holding up new home construction.

Ontario's Bill 23 claims to be about “More Homes Built Faster”. But it throws Waterloo Region's Official Plan into limbo, which our 3 cities and 4 townships have been collaborating on together over the last two years. The Official Plan Amendment, including the Countryside Line, 15-minute communities, and policies endorsed by First Nations, must be respected and approved by the province. Waterloo Region has successfully directed smart growth around major transit stations while supporting our agricultural economy.

I agree that we need to build more homes and welcome more neighbours. We can do that by allowing duplexes, triplexes, townhomes, and low-rise apartments to spur “gentle density“ across the entire Region. Our Official Plan lists these housing types as “neighbourhood missing middle“ and Regional staff had recommended that the Province revise Bill 23 to permit “missing middle” housing as-of-right on a residential lot. If the Province is serious about encouraging new homes, it should allow these housing forms everywhere rather than following through with the flawed policies of Bill 23.

If the Province truly wants to build more homes faster, it should be using Waterloo's Regional Official Plan as an example, not removing its planning authority.

Hence, once again, if you care about the wellbeing of Canadian citizens and the future of Waterloo Region; if you care about the health of our democracy, that is the foundation of our country; if you care about actually building housing that works for Canadians; if you care about your own mandate, to serve the people of Ontario, above all else, as your solemn duty: please, have a heart, and approve Waterloo Region's Official Plan Amendment 6.

Thank you for your consideration of this urgent matter.