We all need urban parkland…

We all need urban parkland. I urge you to maintain the current rate of 1 hectare for 300 dwellling units.

During the height of COVID, we saw how vital parkland was to people's mental health. Parkland use increased exponentially. People need a break from 'the urban jungle.'

Parklands also provide free services such as clean air, carbon sequestration, biodiversity of plant and animal life, habitat for pollinators, flood control, etc. which, if municipalities had to pay for would cost billions of dollars.

On the issue of development fees...
If development fees are reduced, municipalities would not have the financial means to service new homes. Who will pay for sewage pipes, water pipes, and storm water pipes to flush toilet, access water for cooking, flushing toilets, showering,...? Will basements flood because storm water has no means of leaving the property?
Without development fees which make up approximately 40% of municipal income, no one will be able to live in these newly built homes. They would remain empty.

I'm very worried that Bill 23, if implemented, will result in increased rates of urban sprawl. Already the Ontario Federation of Agriculture states that 320 acres of farmland are lost to sprawl every day. Stats Canada puts the figure at 319 acres per day. In 20 or 30 years, where will our food come from?

I recommend you look at the recently passed Region of Waterloo's Official Plan as a model for urban planning. It was put together over 2 years of broad consultation by many stakeholders and citizens. Over the course of the next 30 years, the loss of less than 200 acres of farmland is called for. The focus of this plan is intensification especially along the LRT line.

The best urban planning is done with the broadest possible input. It takes longer, but it's better.
Broad input - including that of Conservation Authorities - respects and makes use of specific sets of knowledge from each contributor. It is also democratic.