I am strongly opposed to the…

I am strongly opposed to the changes enacted through Bill 197, the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act, 2020, that was passed on July 21, 2020.

As a Canadian citizen and resident of the Province of Ontario, I am very strongly opposed to the changes enacted under Bill 197, specifically with regard to the enhanced powers granted to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to unilaterally remove municipal use of site plan control, require agreements between the municipality and development proponents concerning site plan matters, and make amendments to Minister’s Zoning Orders that use any of these enhanced authorities without first giving public notice or requiring public consultation.

These enhanced powers must be repealed and the power to determine the site plan controls returned to the municipalities. Further, and most importantly, no development should be allowed to take place in Ontario without the meaningful engagement and democratic consent of the people.

It seems clear that MZOs are being used to expedite industrial development by using enhanced powers to bypass public and municipal concerns. Over the last two years, and especially in 2020 - justified, apparently by the Covid crisis, MZO's have been used a whopping 37 times - compared to 3 to 4 a year since 1991. This is patently undemocratic, and ultimately erodes public trust in our governing institutions not to mention a rampant disregard for the environment and the crisis of global climate change.