[All] Bill 23, Bill 97, Regional Planning, and Greenbelt Updates

Wed Apr 19 16:41:07 EDT 2023

Good Day,

Everyone across the province continues to try to understand all the recent provincial announcements and the far-reaching implications:

1) Mike Marcolongo Is Home! - I’m pleased to report that Mike has been released from the hospital and is back home in Guelph after being seriously injured by a car while out riding his bike.  He is in good spirits and is making strong progress on recovery.  Kudo’s to Anne Moore, Stan Kozak and Gareth Lind who have organized a meal train for Mike.  I urge you to use this easy service to sign up to bring a meal to Mike and his family one night in the next few weeks.  It’s fast, easy and a way that we can all help Mike and his family as they recover from this near-fatal accident:

	https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/qn2wk9

2) Regional and County Official Plan Follow-up - There has been lots of local media coverage on the very undemocratic and totally unnecessary forced urban boundary expansions by Minister Steve Clark as part of last week’s Official Plan approvals for Waterloo Region, Wellington County, Guelph, and others.  It is great to see journalists calling out the Ford government and helping to raise awareness of the long-term consequences of these actions:

	The Narwhal:  Appeals not allowed, again: Ontario orders Waterloo to sprawl into farmland
	https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-waterloo-sprawl-farmland/

	The Record: Green Party Calls of Co-ops and Non-Profit Housing - not Sprawl Agenda
	https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/2023/04/13/green-party-calls-for-co-ops-and-non-profit-housing-not-sprawl-agenda.html

	The Record: Opening up more Waterloo Region land for housing is a “no-brainer”, Premier Doug Ford says:
	https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/2023/04/13/premier-doug-ford-makes-holds-funding-announcement-for-innovation-arena-at-the-university-of-waterloo.html

	The Record: There are hidden time bombs in Ford’s call for more housing development:
	https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/opinion/2023/04/14/ontarios-new-order-to-build-more-homes-breaches-the-countryside-line-in-waterloo-region.html

	CityNews: Hundreds of hectares in Waterloo Region have been made available for housing:
	https://kitchener.citynews.ca/2023/04/14/regional-chair-reacts-to-provinces-amendments-to-official-plan/?

	570 News Mike Farwell Show: New Housing Law Threatens Farmland:
	https://kitchener.citynews.ca/2023/04/14/friday-april-14th-2023/

3) Other Aspects of the Region of Waterloo Official Plan Forced Boundary Expansions include:

	a) MPP Catherine Fife - Kudos to Waterloo MPP Catherine who called out Premier Ford and Minister Clark for stating that paving over our farmland was a “No Brainer” as Doug Ford claimed when he was in Kitchener on Thursday morning.  Below is a clip well worth watching of MPP Fife calling them out and then the Minister replying by quoting Regional Chair Karen Redman and Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic completely out of context:

	Legislature - MPP Catherine Fife - Paving over our Farmland is a “No Brainer”:
	https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=142865258730116

	b) Hold The Line Media Release - The folks at the Hold The Line Waterloo Region community group released an excellent media release that very clearly articulates the concerns of the provincial actions against the Waterloo Regional Official Plan, the negative impacts of breaching the Countryside Line, and the potential long-term negative consequences to our communities.  The model media release is attached below or is on their website at:

	https://www.holdthelinewr.org/

	c) Petitions Against Forced Urban Boundary Expansion - kudos to the folks at First United Church in Waterloo who were able to get more than 150 signatures on petitions against Forced Urban Boundary Expansions.  We have now delivered dozens of pages of petitions with hundreds of signatures for MPP Catherine Fife to present in the Legislature.  It’s fantastic to see so many people speaking up.

4) ERO Comment Periods - while the provincial government has closed all comments on the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO) regarding Official Plans in addition to making them unappealable, there are still open comment periods on the other recent announcements of the Provincial Policy Statement and Bill 97.  You don’t need to be an expert and you don’t need to submit a lengthy submission in order to comment - even just a few words of concern is enough to send a message that you are not supportive of these provincial changes and policies:

	Comment on Bill 97 by May 6th:
	https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/019-6821

	Comment on the Provincial Policy Statement until June 5th:
	https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/019-6813

5) Other Recent Media Coverage - News coverage continues on the Greenbelt, Bill 97, Rural Farm Severances being Permitted, and Bill 23:

        Mississaugas of the Credit FN considering legal action: https://torontolife.com/city/its-an-attack-against-indigenous-communities-this-first-nation-may-sue-the-ford-government-over-the-greenbelt/

	Permits to Build Condos Soar by 25%:
	https://www.therecord.com/ts/business/2023/04/18/building-permits-jump-amidst-high-demand-and-new-provincial-policies.html

	Guelph Today: Farmland and Farmers Not Getting the Protection They Need:
	https://www.guelphtoday.com/letters-to-the-editor/letter-farmland-and-farmers-are-not-getting-protection-they-need-6856541

	The Toronto Star: Real Estate Friendly Governments Are the Source of Our Housing Woes:
	https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2023/04/17/real-estate-friendly-governments-are-the-source-of-our-housing-woes-not-newcomers.html?rf

6) Lawn Signs -  Now that Spring is here and the snowbanks are gone, brighten up your lawn with a sign in support of the Greenbelt and lawn signs in support of Respecting Official Plans/Stopping Sprawl.  We still have some signs available (examples below).  Please let any of our sign captains know if you would be interested in some for your lawn and neighbourhood:

	Both Regional Official Plan and Greenbelt Signs:
	Kitchener - Cathy Scott - cathy.scottfree at gmail.com <mailto:cathy.scottfree at gmail.com>
	Waterloo - David Lubell - dlubell at bell.net <mailto:dlubell at bell.net>
	Cambridge - Ashley Labelle - ashleynlabelle at gmail.com <mailto:ashleynlabelle at gmail.com>
	Elmira - Sandra Bray - sandra at sandrabray.ca <mailto:sandra at sandrabray.ca>
	Wilmot - Dorothy Wilson - ah_wilson at sympatico.ca <mailto:ah_wilson at sympatico.ca>
        Wellesley - Linda Lackey - lindamclackey at gmail.com <mailto:lindamclackey at gmail.com>
	Greenbelt Signs:
	Guelph Downtown - Anne Moore - amoore083 at gmail.com <mailto:amoore083 at gmail.com>
	Guelph South - Al Dejong - albert1dejong at gmail.com <mailto:albert1dejong at gmail.com>
	Centre Wellington  - Peter Varty - pjvarty at gmail.com <mailto:pjvarty at gmail.com>
	Brantford - Joan Faux - mom2jnp at gmail.com <mailto:mom2jnp at gmail.com>
	Glen Morris - Jeff Leader - geosynergy at yahoo.com <mailto:geosynergy at yahoo.com> 

7) Alliance for a Liveable Ontario Webinar - the next webinar called “Where is the Land We Need for Housing” is being held tomorrow (Thursday, April 20th) at 4 pm.  It features Cherise Burda (Executive Director, City Building Toronto Metropolitian Unversity) and Kevin Eby (expert Registered Planner).  This webinar is the first in the Building Hope series and is particularly relevant in light of last week’s provincial announcements on the Waterloo Regional Official Plan, Bill 97, the PPS, the Growth Plan, and so many other planning changes that will have tremendous impacts on our communities.

Citizens and local municipal officials can register for free at: https://www.liveableontario.ca/event/where-is-the-land-we-need-for-housing

8) Amazing Webinar Video Online - The recent webinar “Addressing Local Housing Issues - Effective Solutions” with Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) President Colin Best is now available to view online at the link below.  This impressive webinar was described by an Oakville and Halton Regional Councillor as “the best hour he’s spent all year and should be required viewing for every elected official in Ontario”.

Check it out and learn about possible solutions for our communities firsthand at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTzlQFXrlEY

9) Speak Up and Send Some Letters - we need to be writing letters to the editor and calling out the provincial government on these recent actions - be it Bill 97, the Regional Official Plan Forced Boundary Expansions, or any of the other recent announcements.  We need to ensure that others are aware of the implications of these actions and that Doug Ford owns the outcomes over the years ahead.

You can also send a letter to save Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve and protect the Rouge National Park by using this quick and easy online form:

	https://actionnetwork.org/letters/e8144467d641f1da20f022d790b6c4e9398cbd1c?source=email&

10) Four out of Five Ontarians Call for Bill 23 Repeal - the results of the extensive SPR survey that saw over 6,000 responses show that over 80% want to see Bill 23 repealed.  Additional details and survey results are attached below.

11) Earth Day Events and Upcoming Rallies - there are lots of different Earth Day events are being planned across Ontario this weekend.  Get out and enjoy several of these activities in local communities.  Details for some events are attached below and you can learn more and list your event at the Yours to Protect website:

	https://environmentaldefence.ca/ytpweekend2023/

Rallies and events include (more information attached below): 

	Guelph - Saturday, Apr 22nd 12:00pm to 1:30pm Market Square, Guelph City Hall, 1 Carden Street, Guelph - earthdaycelebration2023 at gmail.com

	Hamilton - Saturday, April 22nd 9:00am to 10am - Mowhawk Road at Magnolia Drive - @wmt.econinjas

	Richmond Hill Protect the Greenbelt and Oak Ridges Moraine Rally - Sat Apr 22nd 1pm to 3pm - MPP Michael Parsa’s Office - 13085 Yonge Street, Richmond Hill
https://www.facebook.com/events/215806587732752/

	Durham Region  Rally for the Greenbelt and the Duffins Rouge AG Preserve - Saturday April 22, 2-3pm.  MPP Peter Behtlenfalvy’s Office - 1550 Kingston Road, Pickering.

12) Reminder - No Meeting this Friday - Our next update meeting will be Friday, April 28th at 5:30pm:

	Topic: Grand River Watershed Bill 23 Bi-Weekly Zoom Meeting
	Time: Every Other Friday at 5:30pm EST

	Join Zoom Meeting
	https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82644695701?pwd=bnRsUGtWSUcrRnFWR21uYVBISG9jZz09

	Meeting ID: 826 4469 5701
	Passcode: 713374

Thanks for all the great efforts so far.  Please share any questions or ideas.

Cheers,
Kevin Thomason and Mike Marcolongo on behalf of all our community groups.

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A) Upcoming Events

Thursday, April 20th - Alliance for A Liveable Ontario Webinar - “Where is the Land We Need for Housing” -  https://www.liveableontario.ca/event/where-is-the-land-we-need-for-housing

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday April 21st, 22nd, and 23rd - Lots of Earth Day Events happening across Ontario - https://environmentaldefence.ca/ytpweekend2023/

Friday, April 28th - 5:30pm - Next update meeting on Zoom - https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82644695701?pwd=bnRsUGtWSUcrRnFWR21uYVBISG9jZz09

Saturday, May 6th - last day to comment on Bill 97 - https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/019-6821

Monday, June 5th - last day to comment on the Provincial Policy Statement - https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/019-6813

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B) Excellent Hold the Line Media Release on Regional Official Plan Approval:

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C) Survey Shows 80%+ Want Bill 23 Repealed:

Public opinion survey shows 4 out of 5 Ontarians are calling for a repeal of Bill 23!

 <https://f1v3ff69.r.us-east-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F%2Ftinyurl.com%2Fdya8fv75/1/0100018790208621-06fec574-1598-4251-85f7-9746f86fc339-000000/GH5pes9IogqQeDgAfB97Eev8h0M=317>

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D)  Speak up on Bill 97 and the Provincial Policy Statement: 

Please comment by JUNE 5th on the PPS: https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/019-6813 <https://gasp4change.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f78129ba7eabe097015221d5d&id=840c2d168c&e=8a629d034f> 

and May 6th on Bill 97: https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/019-6821

Here are some notes to help write your comments:

https://environmentaldefence.ca/2023/04/06/ontario-to-kill-growth-plan-proposed-new-planning-rules-would-kneecap-housing-supply-efforts-and-unleash-unprecedented-sprawl-on-ontarios-forests-farmland-and-wetlands/ <https://gasp4change.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f78129ba7eabe097015221d5d&id=4ae43b5c7d&e=8a629d034f>

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E) Upcoming Events

Guelph:

Hamilton:

Durham Region - Rally for the Greenbelt and the Duffins Rouge AG Preserve - Saturday April 22, 2-3pm.  MPP Peter Behtlenfalvy’s Office - 1550 Kingston Road, Pickering.

Richmond Hill - Protect the Greenbelt and Oak Ridges Moraine Rally - Sat Apr 22 1pm to 3pm - MPP Michael Parsa’s Office - 13085 Yonge Street, Richmond Hill
https://www.facebook.com/events/215806587732752/

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F) Need a lawn sign to replace your snowbanks?  Please reach out to Kevin, Mike, or any of our Sign Captains:

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G) Earth Day Events 

https://environmentaldefence.ca/ytpweekend2023/

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H) Other Items of Interest:

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I) Speak Up and Ensure Your Voice is Heard:

Premier Doug Ford - doug.fordco at pc.ola.org <mailto:doug.fordco at pc.ola.org> or 416-325-1941
Steve Clark - Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing - steve.clark at pc.ola.org <mailto:steve.clark at pc.ola.org> or 416-585-7214
David Piccini - Minster of Environment, Conservation and Parks - david.piccini at pc.ola.org <mailto:david.paccini at pc.ola.org> or 905-372-4000
Todd Smith - Minister of Energy - todd.smith at pc.ola.org <mailto:todd.smith at pc.ola.org> or 613-962-1144
Michael Parsa - Associate Minister of Housing - michael.parsaco at pc.ola.org <mailto:michael.parsaco at pc.ola.org>

Local Conservative MPPs:
Mike Harris Jr - MPP Kitchener-Conestoga - mike.harris at pc.ola.org <mailto:mike.harris at pc.ola.org> or 519-669-2090
Brian Riddell - MPP Cambridge - brian.riddell at pc.ola.org <mailto:brian.riddell at pc.ola.org> or 519-650-2770
Jess Dixon - MPP Kitchener South - jess.dixon at pc.ola.org <mailto:jess.dixon at pc.ola.org> or 519-650-9413

Local NDP MPPs:
Catherine Fife - MPP Waterloo - cfife-qp at ndp.on.ca <mailto:cfife-qp at ndp.on.ca> or 519-725-3477
Laura Mae Lindo - MPP Kitchener Centre - llindo-qp at ndp.on.ca <mailto:llindo-qp at ndp.on.ca> or 519-579-5460

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

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>
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