While this proposal may be…

While this proposal may be commended on its efforts to increase the supply of affordable housing, the overall direction of the bill seems to be to reward developers without consideration for true affordability or the conditions of the housing it seeks to support. Most concerningly, the reduction in required parkland allocations promises that new housing developments will be less habitable and less resilient in the face of climate change. Urban green spaces are vital to not only the happiness of residents, but also to their health. Parklands reduce pollution and temperatures in cities and are an important aspect of planning sustainable cities (see attached articles from Health Canada, Nature, and the WHO). This proposal would benefit not from reducing, but from increasing the amount of parkland required in new developments.