[All] ***SPAM*** Fwd: Thursday Update and Tomorrow's Zoom Call for Mobilizing Against Bill 23 (Waterloo-Wellington and Brant)

[Kevin Thomason]

> From: Mike Marcolongo <lizandmichele at yahoo.ca>
> Date: November 25, 2022 at 12:20:30 PM GMT+8
> To: Liz Hales <lizandmichele at yahoo.ca>, Kevin Thomason <kevinthomason at mac.com>
> Subject: Thursday Update and Tomorrow's Zoom Call for Mobilizing Against Bill 23 (Waterloo-Wellington and Brant)
> 
> 
> Good evening,
> 
> Kevin's been away and I haven't been able to provide you with a daily update so I thought I would instead summarize the state of affairs for the last week. 
> 
> But first, a reminder to please join us for our weekly Zoom call tomorrow (Friday) at 5:30pm for 35 to 40 minutes. 
> 
> Here is the Zoom link: Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting
> 
> Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting
> Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video an...
> 
> 
> 
> It has been a busy week with protests across the province and tons of media coverage against Bill 23, the Greenbelt attacks and the destruction of rigorous local and regional planning
> 
> 1) First the bad news - Bill 23
> 
> Unfortunately, the More Homes Built Faster Act (Bill 23) is being rammed through the legislature. Few amendments were made following the Committee hearings and the Bill will be introduced for its Third Reading on Monday. It is widely anticipated that the Bill will become law in the near future. However, do not despair! The devil is in the details and deliberations will continue at Queen's Park on the regulations associated with Bill 23. So we need to keep the pressure on this government for the best possible regulations. 
> 
> And keep in mind that municipalities are just starting to organize, not to mention residents across Ontario. 
> 
> 
> 2) Great Media Coverage - there has been lots of excellent media coverage about Bill 23 and all the protests over the past week.  There has been unanimous condemnation across most municipalities in Ontario it seems: 
> 
>      Ontario: Cities protest ‘staggering’ losses Ford government’s Ontario housing bill could cause | Globalnews.ca
> 
>      Toronto:   Fearing $230M yearly loss, Toronto council to ask Ford government to pause new housing bill | CBC News
> 
>     Niagara Region: Under province’s proposed housing Bill 23, lost revenue will be made up by tax increases: Niagara Falls | The Star
> 
>     City of Guelph: City council united in its opposition to Bill 23 - Guelph News (guelphtoday.com)
> 
>     
> Yet Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark doubles down: Ontario housing minister defends plan to cut development charges paid to cities | Globalnews.ca
> 
> There were also numerous additional columns on the Greenbelt including this one in the Toronto Star:
> 
> Doug Ford’s Greenbelt flip-flop leaves me at a loss for words | The Star
> 
> 
> 3) Lawn Signs - the uptake on the lawn signs has been fantastic and there are more signs along with the No Bill 23 stickers coming this Wednesday. I've got names of sign captains for the Region:
> 
> -Wellesley Township: Linda
> -Wilmot Township: Dorothy
> -Kitchener: Linda and Cathy
> -Cambridge: Jenna
> -Paris and Brantford: Joan
> -Guelph South: Al
> -Guelph Downtown and North: Anne
> -Agatha: Becky
> 
> Some locations already have signs but the rest will have signs next week. As of this week 1000 signs will have been distributed from as far as Pelham in Niagara Region to Picton in Eastern Ontario. 
> 
> 
> 4) Radio Ads - The GTA Greenbelt Radio ads are starting to air on Monday and will include several Guelph radio stations.  Our fundraising for radio ads and lawn signs have raised an outstanding $5000 which when matched by the Small Change Fund will give us $10,000 to work with.  Lets see if we can surpass the 10k amount and have a really strong fund to work with for getting word out about Bill 23, the Greenbelt and Regional attacks.  Thank you to everyone who has donated so far:
> 
> 	https://smallchangefund.ca/project/protect-the-greenbelt-and-visionary-regional-planning-in-the-grand-river-watershed/
> 
> 
> 5) In Person Rallies and Virtual Rallies 
> 
> Many of you participated in the Wellington Water Watchers virtual rallies that occurred on Wednesday, November 23rd and November 24th. Over 230 people participated in those rallies over the two evenings with inspirational words from musician Sarah Harmer, Green Leader Mike Schreiner, NDP Leader-hopeful Marit Stiles and Halton Councillor Jane Fogal. 
> 
> There were no pop-up rallies in our region in the last week but the good news is that thus far, there have been a total of 46 rallies across Ontario. And there will be more rallies in this area with the upcoming rally weekend of December 3rd and 4th. Participate in the call to find out more details. 
> 
> 
> 6) Other Important Initiatives
> 
> The local Green EDAs will be leading a canvasing campaign to raise awareness about the attacks to the Greenbelt and good planning in Ontario this Saturday, November 26th in the communities of Guelph, Fergus and four locations in Kitchener-Waterloo. They will also be distributing lawn signs. Join the call to find out more details. And please plan on joining your community's friendly Greens for a significant event. 
> 
> The Water Watchers are also producing handbills for distribution at rallies and during literature drops - I will share some of those details. 
> 
> 6) Awareness - keep raising awareness about Bill 23 and the harm it stands to do to our communities by e-mailing others, and posting on social media.  Also, please use the easy online tools to create customized e-mails to the Premier, Cabinet, local MPPs and Regional Officials.  
> 	- For Region of Waterloo Residents concerned about Regional Planning changes and the destruction of our Regional Official Plan please visit www.holdthelinewr.org.
> 	- For residents in Guelph, Brantford and other parts of the Grand River Watershed more focussed on the Bill 23 and the Greenbelt please visit - https://www.wellingtonwaterwatchers.ca/take_action_on_bill_23?
> 
> 
> Please share any questions or ideas and lets keep up the great work!
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Mike (and Kevin) 
> 
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