[All] Bill 23, Greenbelt & Regional Planning Update, Meeting Friday, March 3rd at 5:30pm

Thu Mar 2 16:31:23 EST 2023

Good Day,

A reminder of our meeting tomorrow (Friday) March 3rd at 5:30pm on Zoom - https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82644695701?pwd=bnRsUGtWSUcrRnFWR21uYVBISG9jZz09 <https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82644695701?pwd=bnRsUGtWSUcrRnFWR21uYVBISG9jZz09>

There continues to be an impressive amount of news on Bill 23, the Greenbelt, and Regional Planning:

1) Existing Housing Capacity Report - An impressive report just released by the Alliance for a Liveable Ontario (ALO) by expert planner Kevin Eby shows that Ontario already has enough land for two million homes - double the quantity that Doug Ford is seeking in the GTA in the next ten years - without touching the Greenbelt or forcing additional sprawl and farmland loss by overriding local Official Plans. 

	Read the Media Release here - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Yw5XmTif5SXek6Ol7pXdsKlUPvLTfGLD/view

	Read the Report here - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i4-mtfRHFbk0QW1bCorpmc2wCijamztQ/view

A copy of the easy-to-read report is also attached below.  We need to spread the word that the provincial government’s actions are totally misguided and that Greenbelt lands along with essential farmland isn’t needed for urban sprawl housing.

There was also excellent coverage in the Globe & Mail newspaper nationally on Tuesday and you can listen to Kevin Eby explain things firsthand on Newstalk 1010 radio:

	Ontario Has Enough Land for Two Million Homes Without Touching Greenbelt:
	https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-ontario-greenbelt-expansion-housing/

	Newstalk 1010 - Two Million Homes Interview
	https://omny.fm/shows/newstalk1010/former-waterloo-director-of-community-planning-kev

2) Wilmot Township Council Reverses Opposition to Hallman Pit - In a very concerning and secretive move, Wilmot Mayor and Council have revoked their support to oppose the Hallman Pit based apparently on the changes in Bill 23 allowing costs to be found against municipalities and third-parties.  Fearing this potential legal bill the Township chose to settle in secret with the gravel pit applicant.  Worse yet, the Township is denying citizens the opportunity to delegate at the upcoming Council meeting.  

Learn more in the articles below and please help support the community send a strong message to Council that they need to uphold their moratorium on gravel pits, live up to the promises/commitments they have made, and have a far more communicative/collaborative approach with their citizens.  The Citizens for Safe Groundwater are urging people to write/call Council and attend Monday’s Council meeting.

	https://www.therecord.com/news/council/2023/02/28/wilmot-council-pledged-to-defend-hallman-pit-decision.html

	https://www.therecord.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editors/2023/02/28/wilmots-decision-not-to-fight-gravel-pit-is-an-affront.html

3) Welcome Back Queen’s Park Rally - Kudos to everyone who attended the Welcome Back Doug Rally at Queen’s Park this past Saturday.  Well over a thousand people attended this protest in front of the Legislature in a noisy, boisterous, and fun event.  There were great speakers, excellent music, creative signs and strong message was sent to the provincial government.  It was fantastic to see a very strong first nations involvement as well as several of the large unions participating with a strong show of force as well.  Photos from the event are attached below.

4) Planning Additional Rallies - Our Rally Committee continues to be very active continuing to meet and discuss what we could be doing to continue to push the provincial government to repeal Bill 23, reverse the attacks on the Greenbelt, approve our Official Plans intact without forced sprawl, and restore the essential roles for our Conservation Authorities.  There is discussion about holding a series of rallies across Ontario simultaneously in March to highlight Official Plans and the province overruling local decisions.  Please think about potential rally ideas and we can discuss further on our Friday Zoom call.  We also are looking for additional volunteers to join our Rally Committee.

5) Doug Ford Defends Wedding Stag & Doe Party As Questions Continue - More media coverage continues regarding developers being asked to help fund Doug’s daughter’s wedding:

	Toronto Star Editorial - Integrity Probe Is Needed:
	https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2023/02/28/integrity-probe-needed-into-doug-ford-family-parties.html

	Good Talk with Peter Mansbridge - Is the Doug Ford Story is as bad as it looks?  Worse, actually:
	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-vXuHiKh7E

	A TikTok Blogger Who Sums Things Up Very Well:
	https://twitter.com/Garnet_2203/status/1630720721704960005?cn=ZmxleGlibGVfcmVjcw%3D%3D&refsrc=email

6) Media Coverage - Good media coverage continues on the impacts of Bill 23 as local municipalities try to figure out how to balance their books and fund new infrastructure when the province still has yet to come forward with any of the promised funding or means to “make things whole”:

	Guelph Councillors Grapple with Bill 23 as Developers Refuse to Address Building on Wetlands:
	https://www.guelphtoday.com/local-news/council-puts-a-caveat-on-its-pledge-to-build-18000-homes-6623071

	Motives Behind Bill 23 Are Questioned Due to Labour Constraints:
	https://building.ca/feature/the-enigma-of-bill-23/

	The Narwhal - Immigrants Are Not The Reason Ontario’s Greenbelt is Being Developed:
	https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-greenbelt-immigration/

7) New Home Construction and Sales Continue to Plunge - Once again the ineffectiveness of the provincial government’s actions to build more homes by destroying the Greenbelt, official plans and farmland is being demonstrated firsthand as new home construction and sales plummet:

	Toronto Star - New Home Construction Sales Hit Lowest Level in 20 Years:
	https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2023/02/23/new-construction-home-sales-hit-lowest-level-in-over-20-years.html

8) CELA Overview of Bill 23 LPAT Appeals - The Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA) has just released an excellent fact sheet on the impact of Bill 23 on third-party appeal rights.  A copy of the fact sheet is attached below.

9) Update on the OPP Anti-Racket Squad Investigation - This article highlights that the OPP seem to be dragging their feet on the investigation of possible insider trading by Doug Ford on the Greenbelt decisions:

	https://www.thetrillium.ca/news/politics/no-one-has-come-forward-with-proof-against-ford-government-in-greenbelt-probe-detectives-email-6629733

10) What’s Next - Environmental Defence has written an excellent article about what is next and how we can continue to encourage the needed change over the months ahead:

	https://environmentaldefence.ca/2023/02/23/whats-next-as-we-work-together-to-stop-the-destruction-of-farms-forests-and-wetlands-in-the-greenbelt-and-beyond/

11)  Reminder - Friday, March 3rd at 5:30pm Zoom Update Meeting Dial-in Details:

	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 <https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82644695701?pwd=bnRsUGtWSUcrRnFWR21uYVBISG9jZz09>

	Meeting ID: 826 4469 5701
	Passcode: 713374
	One tap mobile
	+17806660144,,82644695701#,,,,*713374# Canada
	+12042727920,,82644695701#,,,,*713374# Canada

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

Monday, March 6th - 6:30pm - Wilmot Township Council Meeting at Castle Kilbride/Municipal Council Chambers - Come show your support in-person or virtually.

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B) Wilmot Township Council Reverses Opposition to Hallman Pit

Below is the Wilmot survey of candidates from the recent election clearly showing how each and every Councillor has renegged on their clear commitments to oppose this aggregate pit.

You can e-mail Councillors directly at:
harv.sidhu at wilmot.ca <mailto:harv.sidhu at wilmot.ca>
kris.wilkinson at wilmot.ca <mailto:kris.wilkinson at wilmot.ca>
lillianne.dunstall at wilmot.ca <mailto:lillianne.dunstall at wilmot.ca>
natasha.salonen at wilmmot.ca <mailto:natasha.salonen at wilmmot.ca>
steve.martin at wilmot.ca <mailto:steve.martin at wilmot.ca>
stewart.cressman at wilmot.ca <mailto:stewart.cressman at wilmot.ca> 
And a letter template that could be sent to clerks at wilmot.ca is available at:

	https://mcusercontent.com/6454fd24c4bce52f81e0e225f/files/20d99df0-d802-d642-8dde-3c9fc2f3edca/letter_of_objection_.pdf

	https://www.therecord.com/news/council/2023/02/28/wilmot-council-pledged-to-defend-hallman-pit-decision.html

	https://www.therecord.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editors/2023/02/28/wilmots-decision-not-to-fight-gravel-pit-is-an-affront.html

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C) Report on Existing Housing Unit Capacity in Upper and Single-Tier Municipalities in the GGH

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D) CELA Fact Sheet on the Impact of Bill 23 on Planning Act Third Party Appeal Rights

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E) Photos from the Welcome Back Doug Rally at Queen’s Park

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F) Additional Articles and Editorial Cartoons

Reminder!
Email and phone messages are good but personal meetings are better. Don't be shy to ask for one with your local leader (MPP, Mayor, Regional or Ward Councillor) to discuss your concerns about sprawl, climate change, affordability, flooding, wildlife habitats, or all of the above. Take a friend for support! 

Need help? Ask us!

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G) 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

Or use the Hold The Line Waterloo Region engagement engine to automatically address and send an e-mail you help to draft: www.holdthelinewr.org <http://www.holdthelinewr.org/>

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Other related issues:

Toronto Star Highway #413 Environmental Impact
https://www.thestar.com/business/2023/02/25/highway-413-environmental-impact.html

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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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