Passing of Bill 23 will have…

Passing of Bill 23 will have serious impacts on Municipalities and Tax Payers:
In spite of a unilateral request for a pause by all Big City Mayors across the GTHA and AMO (Association of Municipalities Ontario)it was adopted

Serious Impacts:
The proposed benefits of Bill 23 significantly overshadows the alarming and multiple long-term harms. The timeline clearly similarly undermines opportunities for public and expert review, scrutiny and oversight.
Benefits touted include bylaw changes promoting more non-single family homes and increased density near transit but the measures are so weak that it is estimated it will only create 50,000 of these types of homes. Approximately 1.4 million homes will be built elsewhere most likely through urban sprawl. �
Green Development Standards:
Critical and hard-won municipal planning and green development standards will be gutted. disrupting the ability to meet essential emissions targets�
Environmental Impacts and Control Over Replacement Housing:
Bill 23 wipes out multiple measures used by municipalities to enable development while protecting social and environmental concerns, including eliminating the requirement for rental unit replacement when old buildings are replaced, destroying inherent protections for tenants against rent increases.�
Loss of Growth Related Revenues:
Municipalities will lose much of the revenue they currently received from development charges. �
Minimizing the Role of Conservation Authorities:
The powers of the Conservation Authorities will be decimated, creating massive risks of flooding, rampant sprawl, destruction of precious farmland, wetlands and natural habitat loss. �
Sale of sensitive and previously protected conservation lands will be handed over to the government with NO requirement to consult with the Conservation Authority. �
Loss of Checks and Balances:
Coordinated regional planning will be destroyed in favour of uncoordinated lower-tier planning promoting disorganized expensive sprawl. Urban boundary decisions recently made by municipalities after citizen and expert input stand to be overturned with provincial authorities unilaterally imposing opposing mandates.�
Escalation of SprawalL:
Contrary to provincial government claims for Bill 23, the resulting rampant sprawl is not the solution to the current crises of housing shortages, affordability and the combined climate and health crisis. Sprawl produces a smaller number of larger, less affordable, isolated and car-dependent housing units than planned walkable development within existing urban boundaries served by public transit. This will escalate dangerous greenhouse gas emissions, deadly air pollution, and multiple human health harms. It will hugely escalate the costs borne by municipalities and taxpayers."