I am an Ontario citizen and…

I am an Ontario citizen and voter. I am submitting this in response to the EBR posting # 019-6177, seeking input on a review of the Places to Grow and Provincial Policy Statement.

Regarding the questions posed at the end of the proposal.
I fail to see the usefulness of this exercise. The PPS is good as is, it is not perfect, but it not fundamentally flawed. All of the proposed core elements are currently covered under the existing PPS. Thus, I see this review as a waste of taxpayer money. Ontario is not a homogenous province. Planning and development pressures and issues are different in different parts of the province. I do not believe that a homogenized policy or set of rules would serve Ontarians well because it could not speak to or reflect local needs. The development community understands there are local variations. If they find local processes confusing, they need to work more closely with local agencies and plan their activities within the bounds of what local citizens want their environment to be.
The development focus should be on intensification and brownfield development within the existing urban boundaries. This government’s focus on increasing the number of housing units is simple-minded. Affordability is the most significant in housing in Ontario today, not the number of units. Sprawl is not the answer because it does not address affordability, is more expensive to build and makes life for residents of sprawl more expensive due to dependence on cars and long commutes. Housing density increases in urban area, particularly along transit corridors and in areas that already have built infrastructure and that have been identified by municipalities for complete community development is where the focus should be. Development should stay out of the Greenbelt and out of rural areas (including headwaters areas). Protection of all natural heritage features should be maintained and enhanced, as per the current PPS.
The government should be building on lands that municipalities have already earmarked for development (within existing urban boundaries). There is plenty of land for this. Streamlining of planning policy is not needed. Removing checks and balances on development just makes housing more dangerous for residents.
The PPS and Places To Grow Act are fine the way they are. Municipalities should be allowed to implement their OPs as already developed. We don’t need more homes we need more affordable homes.
The whole idea that a new streamlined policy should be discarded. It is not necessary and is a waste of money. This proposal does not present any new or progressive ideas. All the ideas here have already been reviewed, discussed and incorporated into existing policy and plans. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. My suggestion is to drop this whole proposal.
I also find the “Analysis of regulatory impact” to be simplistic and shallow; so simplistic that it has no real value as an honest assessment of impacts from the proposal.
My overall impression is that this “streamlining” exercise is an attempt to eliminate the PPS and the environmental protections it affords, in favour of clearing the way for developers to proceed unfettered. This is not in the best interests of Ontarians for many reasons.
Regards.
30 Dec. 2022