By Staff
August 30th 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
The Alliance for a Liveable Ontario (ALO) is now calling on the Auditor General and Integrity Commissioner to expand their investigations to include review of the many other decisions of the Minister’s Office at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing since July 2022. Such a review could help restore
• The power of Conservation Authorities. Bill 23 compromises Conservation Authorities’ capacity to regulate development that negatively impacts wetlands, rivers or streams and to provide municipalities with guidance on preventing flooding.
• Municipalities’ capacity to address affordable housing. Under Bill 23 and Bill 97, the limitations on Inclusionary Zoning make it irrelevant to those most in need, and the Minister has the right to overturn any municipally-approved rental replacement bylaws.
• The funding needed to support development. Bill 23 reduced the amount of Development Charges and Parkland Dedication Fees municipalities may charge. The resulting lack of funds for necessary infrastructure is stalling progress on new developments.
• Local, democratic, sustainable decision-making. The Province overruled (Regional) Official Plans, forced urban boundary expansions, introduced ‘Strong Mayor’ powers and expanded the range of Ministerial Zoning Orders (MZOs).
A large display of public support is needed to justify further investigations. Please review the short ALO letter and, if you agree, please endorse the letter by 5pm, September 11, 2023 and pass it on to others who might be interested.
In a Special Report on Changes to the Greenbelt, the Auditor General found that
1. The process used to select sites for removal from the Greenbelt “was not transparent, fair, objective, or fully informed”,
2. “Direct access to the Housing Minister’s Chief of Staff resulted in certain prominent developers receiving preferential treatment”, and
3. “The owners of the 15 land sites removed from the Greenbelt could ultimately see a collective $8.3 billion increase to the value of their properties” [based on 2016 Municipal Property Assessment Corporation property values].
A large display of public support is needed to justify further investigations. Please review the short ALO letter and, if you agree, please endorse the letter by 5pm, September 11, 2023 and pass it on to others who might be interested.
