By Pepper Parr
May 9th 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
The hall at Grace United Church may not have been overflowing with Millcroft residents but the story they heard was quite a bit different than the one that many people understood. The changes in the way development is going to take place at the provincial and Regional levels are undergoing significant disruption.
It wasn’t a sold out crowd but it was an attentive audience
Daintry Klein, speaking on behalf of the Millcroft Greenspace Alliance, urged those attending to write cheques to ensure that the funds needed to hire expert witnesses and the legal counsel needed to appear before the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) while Mayor Marianne Med Ward made it very clear that her efforts were being put into making sure that the differences between the developer who wants to build 98 new homes on the golf course and the residents doesn’t get anywhere near the OLT
Meed Ward is looking for a way to convince the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to declare a “provincial interest” in the Millcroft development which would put a stop to the application that is now before the OLT
Daintry Klein handled the microphone and took the audience through what had been done so far and what had to be done going forward.
Klein stressed the point that everyone in the community has more than a vested interest in the development that is being proposed. “It is getting more and more difficult to get flood insurance, which if not available will impact what happens when mortgage renewal time arrives.
“The marketability of homes in the community will be impacted – the properties that are now seen is as prime will not be is as desirable if there is the potential for serious flooding.”
City council’s decision to oppose the development was seen as a plus for the community – what is not working all that well is the existence of two community groups – both have Standing at the OLT hearing, despite numerous efforts to have one voice speaking for the community – egos seem to have gotten in the way.
They have more than 5000 signatures on a petition and are urging the community to keep the pressure on their MPPs
Klein explained the need for the expert witnesses and why MGA must have their experts and the city having its own experts.
It is a complex process that Klein explained as something that is evidenced based. The OLT bases its decision on the evidence that is presented. What complicates things is the spin that is put on the evidence.
MAG expects to retain Weir & Foulds as legal counsel. They could do a lot worse.
One resident asked if the signature he placed on the petition that went around was enough – write or email your MPP urged Klein.
Klein wasn’t shy about saying this would be a political matter and if the two MPP’s representing the community wanted to keep their seats they want to ensure that they listen to the community.
Regional Chair Gary Carr has been a politician since 1990; served as an MP, MPP and now Regional Chair. He was at one point the Speaker at Queen’s Park – knows the ropes.
Regional Chair Gary Carr spoke and said “we are living in a different world”. The Regional government is getting out of the Planning business – staff reduction at that level will take place.
The province will tell each municipality how many homes they have to provide and the municipality will decide where to build them.
Mayor Meed Ward pointed out that Burlington has signed a pledge to create 29,000 new homes by 2031and currently has 23,000 units in various stages of approval.
I’m confused. Gary Carr acknowledged that Halton (Upper Tier Municipality) has been removed from the Planning Act as per Bill 23 (More Homes Built Faster Act), the same legislation that has denied third-parties (i.e. Millcroft Greenspace Alliance) from making appeals at the OLT, and given greater powers to developers (i.e. Parkland Dedication flexibility). Could it just be a timing/ grandfathering issue? What am I missing?
Remember when we were going to “save the downtown”? Remember when the 2018 mayoral campaign was kicked off in Aldershot on Clearview and we were going to save the residential streets like that one, and Cooke, etc from nearby highrises?” Hahaha! Well good luck to Milcroft, this one may work, the politicians all showed up, even Gary Carr!
Anyway, re the flooding warning – that should frankly apply to considerably more of us who live in places besides on a golf course and for whom are soon to be surrounded everywhere by concrete, where we build cement parking lots where parkettes once stood, where a small forest of trees by a creek was knocked down on Martha and where runoff of said creek has to go somewhere – oh yes – our basements. We have much worse storms now and we too can’t get flood insurance. And we’re building 7-level underground parking lots for a tower right by the lake in an area with a history of flooding – what could go wrong? Let’s build a whole bunch more all around it!