[All] Bill 66 Update, Growth Plan Feb 28th Deadline, Friday Mar 1st Climate Strike 12:30pm, LPASC Closure

Tue Feb 26 10:30:55 EST 2019

Good Day GREN,

Lori has raised some really good points and concerns about the Local Planning Appeal Support Centre elimination.  It is concerning how little attention it is getting but with all the health care issues, autism protests, emerging scandals, etc. there isn’t much space in the media.  I have attached a great series of tweets below from Mark Cripps about the LPASC changes and possible impacts.

Here’s also an update on other current issues:

1) Bill 66 - Kudo’s again to everyone on all our efforts to stop Section 10 of Bill 66.  While our MPP's have returned to Queen’s Park, we are still awaiting the removal of Section 10.  Several of local groups have collaborated with opposition MPP Catherine Fife on a letter (attached below) to Minister Steve Clark asking for exactly what to expect with the withdrawal and confirmation when it has been removed.

There are still serious concerns with other Sections of Bill 66 such as Section 5 - the elimination of the Toxins Reduction Act.  We urge your group to speak up and I have included information from the Canadian Environmental Law Association below.

2) Places to Grow Act - Growth Plan Amendment #1 - this coming Thursday, February 28th at midnight is the deadline for comments on the provincial government's plans to roll back progress on urban sprawl to 1970’s levels.  It is extremely concerning to see Smart Growth planning being overturned, settlement boundary area expansions being facilitated without even any data or need required, and the return to increased inefficient urban sprawl we can not afford and that will consume so much more farmland as well as green space.

You can learn more in recent media articles:

	-The Record Article (also below) - https://www.therecord.com/opinion-story/9187702-tim-gray-the-big-return-of-urban-sprawl-in-ontario/ <https://www.therecord.com/opinion-story/9187702-tim-gray-the-big-return-of-urban-sprawl-in-ontario/>

Staff Reports from the Region of Waterloo and City of Waterloo:

Reports from other groups that you can review and leverage ideas/suggestions from:

Attached at the bottom of this e-mail is a detailed copy of the proposed amendments and changes to the Growth Plan.

Please be sure to submit comments personally and from your groups on the Environmental Registry before Thursday’s deadline:

	Amendment 1, Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe - https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/013-4504 <https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/013-4504>

You can also sign an online petition at:

	- Environmental Defence Petition - https://act.environmentaldefence.ca/page/37992/action/1 <https://act.environmentaldefence.ca/page/37992/action/1>  

3) MPP Meetings - Congratulations to members from our groups who continue to meet with area MPP’s to express concerns about Bill 66, our environment, the need for better planning, the Regional Review, and the need to ensure more community consultation.  Meetings have been held recently with MPP Mike Harris Jr, MPP Amy Fee, and MPP Catherine Fife.  Please continue to speak up and ensure our community is heard.

4) Local Delegations - Thanks to several of our groups who presented recently to Region of Waterloo on the Housing Supply Consultation and the Growth Plan Amendment.  It is great to see community groups speaking up to express concerns with provincial changes and working to ensure our good local planning protecting farmland, green space and water prevails.

5) Endangered Species Act Changes - the provincial government is proposing some very concerning changes to the Endangered Species Act to “Open it for Business” .  The deadline for comment ion the Environmental Registry is March 4th:

	https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/013-4143 <https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/013-4143>

You can learn more, sign the Ontario Nature online petition, and automatically send letters to Minister Rod Phillips at:

	https://ontarionature.good.do/esa/support/ <https://ontarionature.good.do/esa/support/>

6) Local Planning Appeal Support Centre Elimination - it was very disturbing to see Thursday’s announcement from the provincial government closing down the LPASC.  This support centre was created to help citizens and municipalities better work with OMB and LPAT issues, planning issues, and legal challenges in communities across Ontario.  I have attached below a stream of Tweets from Mark Cripps providing an overview of the likely impacts and how it is so against citizens and in favour of well resourced developers.

7) Our Water, Our Future Event - Our February 7th event was postponed due to weather challenges.  We are pleased to announce that it will now be held on Wednesday, April 17th.  Please save this date and more information will be available soon. 

8) Friday’s For The Future - This coming Friday, March 1st at Waterloo City Hall, 100 Regina Street S. join the rapidly growing global movement of youth striking for the planet.  Hosted by several of our groups you can learn more at:

	https://www.facebook.com/events/1163394617169359/ <https://www.facebook.com/events/1163394617169359/>

Please share any thoughts or ideas and let's keep seeing how we can move things in the right direction!

Cheers,
Kevin.

-----------------------------------
Letter to MMAH Minister Steve Clark regarding Bill 66, Section 10 removal:

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Bill 66, Section 5 - Toxins Reduction Act Concerns - CELA - Canadian Environmental Law Association

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Local Planning Appeal Support Centre Elimination - here’s some details and implications from a former provincial government staffer:

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Proposed Amendments to the Provincial Growth Plan:

-------------------------------------

Kevin Thomason
Vice-Chair, Grand River Environmental Network

Phone: (519) 888-0519
Mobile Phone/WhatsApp: (519) 240-1648
Twitter: @kthomason
E-mail: kevinthomason at mac.com <mailto:kevinthomason at mac.com>

-----------------------------------------
Tim Gray: The big return of urban sprawl in Ontario
Ontario keeps finding new ways to threaten our farms, drinking water and forests

OPINION Feb 22, 2019 by Tim Gray Hamilton Spectator
 <https://www.therecord.com/opinion-story/9187702-tim-gray-the-big-return-of-urban-sprawl-in-ontario/#> <https://www.therecord.com/opinion-story/9187702-tim-gray-the-big-return-of-urban-sprawl-in-ontario/#> <https://www.therecord.com/opinion-story/9187702-tim-gray-the-big-return-of-urban-sprawl-in-ontario/#&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.therecord.com%2Fopinion-story%2F9187702-tim-gray-the-big-return-of-urban-sprawl-in-ontario%2F&&title=Opinion%20%7C%20Tim%20Gray%3A%20The%20big%20return%20of%20urban%20sprawl%20in%20Ontario%20&> <https://www.therecord.com/opinion-story/9187702-tim-gray-the-big-return-of-urban-sprawl-in-ontario/#&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.therecord.com%2Fopinion-story%2F9187702-tim-gray-the-big-return-of-urban-sprawl-in-ontario%2F&&title=Opinion%20%7C%20Tim%20Gray%3A%20The%20big%20return%20of%20urban%20sprawl%20in%20Ontario%20&> <mailto:?subject=A%20friend%20has%20shared%20%22Tim%20Gray:%20The%20big%20return%20of%20urban%20sprawl%20in%20Ontario%22%20from%20TheRecord.com&body=I%20am%20sharing%20this%20story%20from%20TheRecord.com:%20%0D%0A%22Tim%20Gray:%20The%20big%20return%20of%20urban%20sprawl%20in%20Ontario%22%0D%0A%0D%0APlease%20visit%20the%20following%20page%20for%20more%20information:%20%0D%0Ahttps://www.therecord.com/opinion-story/9187702-tim-gray-the-big-return-of-urban-sprawl-in-ontario/?s=e%0D%0A%0D%0A**%20Disclaimer%20**%0D%0A%0D%0AMetroland%20Media%20Group%20Ltd.%20and%20its%20affiliated%20sites%20are%20not%20responsible%20for%20the%20content%20of%20this%20e-mail.%20Please%20note%20that%20neither%20the%20e-mail%20address%20nor%20name%20of%20the%20sender%20has%20been%20verified.>

Urban sprawl in Markham illustrates the kind of growth the Ontario government is supporting in new policies that roll back environmental protection regulations. - Tony Bock , Toronto Star 
For the last 30 years, governments as diverse as those headed by premiers Davis, Harris and Wynne have moved policy forward to create more livable cities, while still protecting farmland, nature and water supplies.

These governments increasingly focused on slowing down urban sprawl by directing growth to existing urban areas, building more public transit and using data to project future housing and business development needs. The most recent iteration of the rules that guide this effort is found in the provincial Growth Plan. It is the "where and how" of city building.

New laws have also been enacted to protect farmland, forests, wetlands and water sources by putting areas off-limit to development. These sensitive areas include the Niagara Escarpment, Greenbelt, Lake Simcoe watershed, Source Water Protection areas and Endangered Species habitat. These are the "where not to develop" parts of the system.

Unfortunately, Ontario's current government seems determined to unravel these critically important protected areas and planning rules to benefit developers who want to build sprawling subdivisions on farmland.

The Greenbelt and other protected lands were attacked first under the government's proposed Bill 66. That bill would have opened up Ontario's protected farmland, wetlands and natural areas to development by exempting certain development proposals from land protection laws. 

Over the course of the six weeks after it was introduced, over 50,000 people and 15 municipalities sent letters opposing Bill 66. Thousands of lawn signs sprouted up around the province, billboards appeared in several communities, MPPs were called to account by their constituents, and a major farm organization called it a direct attack on farming. 

This massive public pressure led the Ontario government to reverse course and promise to remove this section of Bill 66 when the legislature returns.

However, at the same time as they were promising not to develop the Greenbelt (again), the government announced plans to go after the Growth Plan, and is moving forward fast. 

In a nutshell, the proposed changes to the Growth Plan give preference to low-density sprawl development on farmland over the redevelopment and revitalization of our towns and cities. Urban boundaries will be allowed to expand into rural areas, without proper evaluation of need. Density requirements will be rolled back to early 1990 levels, allowing developers to build far-flung, car-dependent communities that will increase the region's already impossible gridlock. New public transit stations will be permitted in areas of low population instead of in mobility hubs that service large numbers of people. This is the return of the "GO station in a cornfield" model which encourages more sprawl, cars and highways.

The proposed changes to the Growth Plan are a giant step in the wrong direction, taking us back almost half a century to the age of unfettered sprawl development. What we need instead are: 

•denser, compact cities and towns with a mix of housing that people actually want and need (e.g. rental, row and townhouses, mainstreet condos, smaller homes for seniors and new buyers);

•evidence-based planning decisions that include experts and citizen involvement; and,

•farmland and natural areas that are protected from arbitrary city boundary expansions.

In the long run, a return to sprawl-focused development will eat up the farmland and natural areas that surround our cities and towns. It will decrease our quality of life, increase our commute time, increase our property taxes and diminish the quality of our air, water and food. 

We can do much better than this. 

Tim Gray is the executive director of Environmental Defence
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