Bill 23: More Homes Built…

Bill 23: More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 is a full frontal attack by the Progressive Conservative government on the people of Ontario. There are many aspects of this bill that are destructive, but the proposed changes to the Ontario Heritage Act demonstrates a blatant and high-handed disregard towards heritage property owners, municipalities, environmental best practices, community sentiment and values, and due process.

This bill forces heritage property owners to choose listing OR designation. It forces municipalities to designate listed properties within 2 years or lose them from their heritage properties registers, which is totally arbitrary and irresponsible. Municipalities lose crucial local planning ability, and their mandated volunteer heritage advisory committees will be rendered impotent.

Heritage properties, conservation districts, and cultural landscapes are vulnerable at the best of times. It hardly matters whether the consequences are intended or unintended, Bill 23 will ensure the destruction of heritage assets that volunteers, property owners, and municipalities have valued and protected for decades. Our community has recently witnessed the willful destruction of landmark properties at the hands of rapacious developers, and this bill will ensure the floodgates open. Demolition by neglect is already releasing carbon emissions, and filling scarce landfills, when preserving, adapting, and reusing existing structures is the responsible course of action.

I have observed government ministers in the assembly mock and disparage the legitimate concerns expressed by Ontarians about this draconian bill. Listen to the voters. Revise it, repeal it, spike it. This bill is a failure as it exists now.