[All] Bill 23, Greenbelt, & Regional Planning Update, Meeting Friday March 17th at 5:30pm

Fri Mar 17 00:27:22 EDT 2023

Good Day,

A reminder of our meeting today (Friday) March 17th 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 a lot of interesting (even crazy things) happening on Bill 23, the Greenbelt, and Regional Planning:

1) Waterloo Regional Official Plan Rally April 2, 2023 - Join us on Sunday, April 2nd from 2pm to 3pm at our next rally event against forced urban boundary expansion and the development of farmland and natural spaces.  The Waterloo Regional Official Plan (along with other Official Plans such as Wellington County’s Official Plan) are currently awaiting approval from Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark.  A decision could come at anytime potentially forcing thousands of acres of unwanted sprawl similar to what the province has done to the Halton Region and City of Hamilton Official Plans.

Waterloo MPP Catherine Fife is already confirmed as a speaker and we hope that Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe will be able to join us as well.  We want to draw attention to the new report from the Alliance for a Livable Ontario (ALO) showing that municipalities in the Greater Golden Horseshoe already have sufficient lands for twice as many housing units as the province requires under Bill 23 and that Greenbelt land removals as well as forced urban boundary expansions are totally unnecessary.

Please let either Mike or Kevin know if you are able to help Lyndsay Dajka and the Rally Committee with the organizing of this event as we need volunteers to help at a welcome table and as marshalls.  We hope that you can join us for a fun-filled hour and help send a strong message on April 2nd!  Learn more at the official Facebook page:

	https://www.facebook.com/events/167796549418015

More details including a rally poster and social media materials are attached below.  Please circulate and share widely.

2) Greenbelt Council Muzzled - A fascinating article was just released by the Narwhale showing through Freedom of Information Requests how the provincial government has gutted and muzzled the Greenbelt Council (now only four people) originally intended to protect and steward the Greenbelt:

 	https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-muzzled-greenbelt-council/

3) Recent Media Articles - Great press and media coverage continues on Bill 23, the Greenbelt, and Regional Planning:

	Integrity Commissioner is Moving Forward with Summoning Witnesses in Greenbelt Probe:
	https://www.thetrillium.ca/news/politics/integrity-commissioner-prepping-witness-summonses-in-greenbelt-probe-6709974

	Topless Greenbelt Protestor at Juno’s Ceremony in Alberta gets Everyone’s Attention:
	https://www.cp24.com/entertainment-news/avril-lavigne-kicks-topless-protestor-against-ontario-greenbelt-development-off-junos-stage-1.6311882

	CTV News - Municipalities Feel Impacts of Housing Law and Little Progress:
	https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-municipalities-feel-impacts-of-housing-law-worry-over-little-audit-progress-1.6310502?utm_source=the

	Toronto Star - Ontario Municipalities Worry Over Little Audit Progress:
	https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2023/03/13/ontario-municipalities-feel-impacts-of-housing-law-worry-over-little-audit-progress.html

	Paris Independent Front Page Coverage of the High School Walkout (and pages 5 and 6)!
	https://issuu.com/theparisindependent/docs/the_paris_independent_for_saturday_march_11_2023

	Doug Ford Continues to See Low Approval Rating Amid Stag Party Controversy:
	https://www.cp24.com/news/doug-ford-continues-to-see-low-approval-rating-amid-stag-party-controversy-report-1.6316334

	The Golden Horseshoe Needs Zoning Reform:
	https://environmentaldefence.ca/2023/03/14/the-golden-horseshoe-needs-zoning-reform-not-the-removal-of-greenbelt-land-how-to-discuss-data-from-the-alliance-for-a-livable-ontario-and-the-regional-planning-commissioners-of-ontario/

	CityTV Coverage - Welcome Back Ford Rally - excellent coverage from two weeks ago:
	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2pUX_tKfts

4) Coalition of Ontario Water Guardians - COWG has an excellent online petition calling on the provincial government to commit to meaningful consultation on the proposed amalgamation of the Places to Grow Act and the Provincial Policy Statement that could have far reaching impacts.  The petition has many connections to Bill 23 and related issues.  Take a minute to sign it here:

	https://act.newmode.net/action/ontario-headwaters-institute/ontario’s-water-security-must-be-better-protected

5) Hallman Pit and Wilmot Township - There have been several excellent Letters to the Editor regarding the Hallman Gravel Pit application and the dreadful way that the Township of Wilmot has handled their surprise approval based on their fears of a section of Bill 23 that it turns out hasn’t even been enacted and isn’t even in force:

	https://www.therecord.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editors/2023/03/10/farmland-is-too-easily-disposed-of-in-wilmot-township.html

	https://www.therecord.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editors/2023/03/10/wilmot-councillors-should-be-listening-to-their-citizens.html

6) Other Upcoming Rally’s - Halton Hills - Folks in Halton Hills are organizing a pop-up rally on Saturday March 25, 11am-12pm EST in Milton at the corner of Main and Ontario Sts., outside MPP Parm Gill's office.  All are welcome!  Bring homemade signs, noisemakers and help us draw attention to the cause and remind the government we're not going away and remain committed to protecting the Greenbelt!  The plan is to continue the pop-rallies across Halton, having them in Oakville, Burlington and Halton Hills in coming weeks.  For more information contact: melissa.j.gismondi at gmail.com <mailto:melissa.j.gismondi at gmail.com>

Kincardine - The Huron Fringe Field Naturalists (HFFN) is worried that the provincial government thinks the public has either forgotten or doesn’t care that Bill 23 opens up thousands of acres of the Greenbelt to development, removes protections for environmentally sensitive lands and overrides local municipal control over land usage.  HFFN invites concerned citizens to show Premier Ford the error of his ways and demonstrate their support for protecting farms, forests and wetlands by attending a rally in Kincardine from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 15th. Participants will park at the Davidson Centre, 601 Durham Street, Kincardine, and gather near the Lions Splash Pad. Marchers will spread out along Durham Street east to Highway 21. At noon everyone will reconvene at the starting point to meet, mingle and hear remarks from local municipal and community leaders.

Inquiries may be made through the Huron Fringe Field Naturalists Facebook page <https://ontarionature.thankyou4caring.org/page.redir?target=https%3a%2f%2fwww.facebook.com%2fHuronFringeFieldNaturalists&srcid=52743&srctid=1&erid=10738928&trid=1e4d4feb-7574-42fb-91d8-00b55c3fea95> - https://www.facebook.com/HuronFringeFieldNaturalists

7) Reminder - Meeting this Friday - Our next update meeting will be this Friday, March 17th at 5:30pm - Please join us for the latest news and information.

	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

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

Friday, March 17th - 5:30pm - Next update meeting on Zoom - https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82644695701?pwd=bnRsUGtWSUcrRnFWR21uYVBISG9jZz09 <https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82644695701?pwd=bnRsUGtWSUcrRnFWR21uYVBISG9jZz09>

Saturday, March 25th - 11am - 12 pm - Halton Hills Rally at Main and Ontario Streets in Milton

Sunday, April 2nd - 2:00pm - 3:00pm - Rally to Respect Waterloo Region’s Official Plan - 475 King St North, Waterloo - https://www.facebook.com/events/167796549418015

Saturday, April 15th - 11am - 12:30pm - Kincardine Rally Against Bill 23 - details below

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

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B) April 2nd Waterloo Rally Posters and Additional Information - please feel free to share and circulate these materials widely including the designs specifically for social media:

Rally Poster:

Petition Page to gather signatures:

Facebook Poster

Instagram Poster

Twitter Poster

C) April 15th Kincardine Rally Poster

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D) 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/>

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

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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