I question whether Bill 23…

I question whether Bill 23 is an balanced and logical strategy to build new homes faster in Ontario.

First, why is Ontario in this "housing crisis" to begin with?? Is anyone asking that question? The current Liberal Fed. government is short-sighted with their questionable immigration targets of a ½ million people a year (the equivalent to building KW Cambridge population and infra-structure) each year. But this is another question.

But with regard to Bill 23, the proposed changes will not enable affordable housing to be built where it is needed, inside existing urban communities. The government is also eliminating key democratic processes, heritage and environmental protections to make it easier for developers to build what they want, where they want, and when they want, and forcing the rest of the Ontario taxpayers to bear the financial, social, heritage and ecological costs. The green belt is special land that many have fought to protect for generations and in one knee-jerk bill the decades of work will be erased. As fertile farmland continues to be gobbled up in Ontario, what are these many new and existing Ontarians supposed to eat???

This current provincial Bill is short-sighted. Bye, bye critical green space. I think the only green the provincial government sees is $$ (from developers). Green Party MPP, Mike Schreiner, has some urban area housing ideas that seem a lot more logical, using existing empty buildings, low-rise multi-dwellings, but because he is not the party in majority, does anyone in the majority want to listen to him? Also, why not fix and re-use our older neighbourhoods already serviced and connected by transit to offer affordable housing alternatives. Another key segment of the population not served here, are the retiring Baby Boomers...build young seniors housing, so they leave their big empty 3-4 bedroom existing housing.