[All] Regional Official Plans Reversal, Greenbelt Scandal, and Bill 23 Latest News

Thu Nov 2 21:19:28 EDT 2023

Good Day!

The good news keeps on coming with the release of thousands of government e-mails this week revealing more provincial government corruption:

1) E-mails Revealing More Corruption and Scandal - Kudo’s to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests from Environmental Defence and Ecojustice that have seen almost 7,000 internal government e-mails made public.  More evidence is emerging that the Premier’s Office was involved in picking properties for development and MZO’s clearly benefitting wedding guests.  You can search through the e-mails yourself at:

	https://bit.ly/fordfoi

Here’s the Environmental Defence statement on their FOI's:

	https://environmentaldefence.ca/2023/10/30/ontario-government-political-staff-directed-changes-to-municipal-official-plans-to-favour-the-interests-of-select-landowners/

Here’s the latest headlines and media articles:

	The Narwhal - Pandora’s Box Is Open: 6,972 Pages Of Internal Documents Show Ford’s Ties to Land Swamps and Staff’s Focus On Secrecy:
	https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-greenbelt-urban-boundary-documents/

	Global News - Behind Ontario’s Controversial Housing Changes:  Documents Shed Light on Greenbelt, Boundary Changes:
	https://globalnews.ca/news/10057900/documents-developer-influence-ford-government-housing/

	CBC - Developer Guests At Doug Ford Family Wedding Got Fast-Tracked Zoning Approvals From Government:
	https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-doug-ford-mzos-land-zoning-orders-greenbelt-1.7010332

	CBC - Doug Ford Met With Developer A Year Before Hamilton Land Removed From The Greenbelt: 
	https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/ford-email-greenbelt-meeting-1.7012980

	Global News - Four Wedding Guests Received As Many Zoning Orders As Liberals Issued Over 15 Years:
	https://globalnews.ca/news/10056992/ford-zoning-orders-ndp/

	CBC - Why It’s Getting Harder For Doug Ford To Sidestep Bland For The Greenbelt Scandal:
	https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-doug-ford-greenbelt-land-development-housing-1.7014360

	The Trillium - Environmental Group Releases Thousands Of Government Documents On The Greenbelt:
	https://www.thetrillium.ca/news/energy-and-the-environment/environmental-group-releases-thousands-of-government-documents-on-greenbelt-urban-boundary-scandals-7759102 <https://www.thetrillium.ca/news/energy-and-the-environment/environmental-group-releases-thousands-of-government-documents-on-greenbelt-urban-boundary-scandals-7759102#:~:text=An%20advocacy%20group%20has%20released,expand%20municipal%20boundaries%20in%20Ontario.>

Mike also did some digging into the FOI documents and came up with the following Twitter/X thread that went viral over the last couple of days:
https://twitter.com/marcolongo_mike/status/1719607500788339067

2) Local, Provincial and National Media Coverage - Here’s an astounding amount of other recent news articles on the provincial corruption and chaos as 18 MZO’s are linked to guests at the Ford wedding, Mayors speak up, Doug Ford fires Metrolinx Board Member for speaking up, and the RCMP starts interviewing government staff:

	The Toronto Star - Ontario Mayors Say Rules for Provincial Housing Fund Unfairly Penalizes Them:
	https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/ontario-mayors-say-rules-for-provincial-housing-fund-unfairly-penalize-them/article_330b9b20-1b25-5b0e-a06f-d0e98abfc1be.html

	The Guelph Mercury - It Didn’t Make Any Sense At All - Mayor Gutherie Pushes Back On Doug Ford’s Housing:
	https://www.guelphmercury.com/news/it-didnt-make-any-sense-at-all-guthrie-pushes-back-on-doug-fords-guelph-housing/article_20831246-6665-5ebd-b962-3217bf05e1b5.html

	CBC - Road To 1.5 Million Homes Has Gotten Rockier Builders Say:
	https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/urban-boundaries-interest-rates-housing-ontario-1.7009053

	The Toronto Star - New Documents To Be Revealed - Doug Ford’s Tories Brace For Next Wave Of Greenbelt Scandals:
	https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/doug-ford-s-tories-brace-for-the-next-wave-of-greenbelt-scandal/article_fa620436-c9eb-5c20-9215-1bf858dd3030.html

	The Record - Documents Reveal Stress Behind The Scenes As Ford Government Ignored Experts To Change Municipal Boundaries:
	https://www.therecord.com/politics/provincial/documents-reveal-stress-behind-the-scenes-as-ford-government-ignored-experts-to-change-municipal-boundaries/article_85c3fd27-e740-5893-ad2d-dbf52b76d49b.html

	The Toronto Star - 18 MZO’s Given To Developers Who Were Guests At Premier Ford’s Family Wedding: NDP:
	https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/18-mzos-given-to-developers-who-were-guests-at-premier-fords-family-wedding-ndp/article_42e7fe97-dc01-517f-a953-3d5c2194eb1b.html

	The Record - Doug Ford Fires PC Veteran From Metrolinx Board After She Criticizes Him:
	https://www.therecord.com/politics/provincial/doug-ford-fires-pc-veteran-from-metrolinx-board-after-she-criticizes-him/article_a4dcecef-7eb4-5a5c-a8f5-0c51a232196e.html

	Bloomberg - Quantifying The Cost of Sprawl:
	https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-05-21/quantifying-the-cost-of-sprawl

	The Toronto Star - Children Need More Green Space - Doug Ford’s Government Introduced Legislation That Will Result In Less Parkland In The Future:
	https://www.thestar.com/interactives/hes-growing-up-in-a-concrete-world-what-he-really-needs-is-more-green-time/article_10b70c4e-685d-11ee-b813-4fc69ecd6c9d.html

	The Toronto Star - RCMP Question Officials In Doug Ford’s Government Over The Greenbelt Scandal:
	https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/rcmp-question-officials-in-doug-ford-s-government-over-the-greenbelt-scandal/article_61002740-21be-5f43-993e-1f301aa51db6.html

	The Trillium - Ford Government Rezoned Developer Owned Golf Club In The Greenbelt After Request From PC Appointee:
	https://www.thetrillium.ca/news/housing/ford-government-rezoned-developer-owned-golf-club-in-the-greenbelt-after-request-from-pc-appointee-7764702#

	Mississauga.com - In An Embarrassing Move, The Ford Government Revoked The Lakeview MZO Due To Concerns From Pearson Airport: 
	https://www.mississauga.com/news/council/ford-government-removes-50-storey-mississauga-tower-from-mzo-amid-pearson-airport-concerns/article_071fc93b-1d70-58fc-991b-4358c127d124.html

	CBC - Ford Government Tries To Change The Channel On The Greenbelt Controversy: 
	https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-fall-economic-statement-2023-1.7015406

3) Editorials and Insights - Here’s the link to an editorial on the challenges before Doug Ford’s provincial government:

	The Record - Another Day, Another Policy Climbdown For Doug Ford’s Government:
	https://www.therecord.com/opinion/editorials/another-day-another-policy-climbdown-for-doug-ford-s-government/article_a94b5bb9-1481-5ac3-ac06-ce8f5437d57e.html

4) GRCA To Cut Nature Education Centres - Thanks to Fraser Gibson for speaking up at our Friday at 5:30pm Zoom meeting about the Grand River Conservation Authority's (GRCA) alarming decision to cut and end the Nature Centre programs used by area school boards to introduce thousands of children each year to nature.  Final decisions have been deferred until January but we all need to speak up and help to find potential sources of funding to keep these essential programs running.  Both local municipalities and businesses could be potential sponsors.  Please start to talk to potential funders and raise the importance of outdoor education for youth:

	GRCA Defers Decision on Nature Centres:
	https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/grca-defers-decision-on-nature-centres/article_e886a983-1282-5abf-8873-183cf674bc4f.html

5) Respond to ERO on Greenbelt Reversals - The government has posted the Greenbelt reversal legislation to the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO).  We need to speak up and provide feedback to ensure that this legislation moves forward.  There have been many suggestions on how to improve the governments proposed legislation such as expanding the Greenbelt and placing easements similar to the Duffins Rouge Agricultural lands on all Greenbelt lands to reduce speculation.  Please submit your support and ideas online at:

	https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/019-7739

6) Greenbelt Promise Webinar On ERO Submissions - Join the team at Greenbelt Promise on Tuesday, November 7th at 7:00pm for a webinar on drafting Greenbelt submissions to the ERO.  Register online at:
	https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScmVhWldQHXb4hECSjLnYVdEoIX_9gxI_dxzRSMEfeFyr0y7g/viewform

7) Local Celebration Social Event - Thursday, Dec 7th - Please save the date of Thursday, December 7th for an evening of celebration on our our victories of getting the Greenbelt takeouts, rural severances, and forced boundary expansions cancelled/repealed.  Please let us know any ideas for the event and possible locations.  We are hoping for something fun and memorable.

8) Affordable Needs To Mean Affordable - Bill 134, the Affordable Homes and Good Jobs Act, 2023 has been referred to Standing Committee prior to its third reading.  It proposes define “affordable housing” as housing that consumes no more than 30% of the gross annual income of those at the 60th percentile of gross annual household incomes which could leave behind 59% of society.  Minister Calandra’s take on housing can be seen in the following clip:

	https://twitter.com/tdotresident/status/1717600712807305410?s=46&t=XLYcxxaKfwXm7EGqQ-olxw

Please contact Hal Jaeger (hzjaeger at gmail.com) who is co-ordinating a response if you would like to help provide feedback to the province and provide better solutions.

9) Housing Issues Continue - New suburban sprawl homes continue to losing their value the fastest as people are more willing to invest more to live in better located, walkable communities close to jobs, schools and ammenities.  Buyers are losing hundreds of thousands of dollars and walking away from deposits as home values in distant, less desirable new subdivisions plummet:

	The Toronto Star - Buyers Are Walking Away From Deposits On New Homes - Losing As Much As $300,000:
	https://www.thestar.com/real-estate/toronto-area-buyers-are-walking-away-from-deposits-on-new-homes-some-losing-as-much/article_db451c58-5c4b-5269-8510-17095d5496e1.html

Kudo’s to Hamilton’s Councillor Wilson who described their vision for the sustainable future of their community building within the existing urban boundaries as:

	“Our vision here is dense, walkable communities that support small and medium-sized businesses, that are transit-friendly, that are family-friendly, and that are inclusive and affordable to all”. 

It sounds like a great place to live!

10) Press Release Online - The press release created by a collaboration of our local community groups has been posted online at the Hold The Line website.  Read more about our groups celebrating the provincial cancellation of the Forced Urban Boundary expansions at:

	https://www.holdthelinewr.org/rop-2023-copy

11) Ontario Nature Webinar - Wetland Conservation Resources For Community Advocates - Join Dr. Anne Bell and others from Ontario Nature on November 8th at 7pm to learn about new resources developed to help citizens protect Ontario’s wetlands that are under tremendous threats as wetland protections are eliminated by the provincial government:

	https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PFUAcZImT8S0QYOzughi5g#/registration

12) Ontario Farmland Trust Webinars - Learn from about pressures on farmland, solutions and share ideas with a series of upcoming webinars including Farmland Protection Options on Tuesday, November 14th at 12pm.  Previous OFLT webinars have been excellent and well attended:

	 https://ontariofarmlandtrust.ca/2023/10/10/winter-webinars-register-today/

13) Hallman Pit Hearing - The Hallman Pit proposed to destroy farmland and groundwater aquifers near Shingletown in Wilmot Township has its OLT Hearing started on Monday, October 30th.  Tune in online each day until November 8th to show your support:

	https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/979388733

14) Power Up! Rally - Join a global day of action on November 4th from 1pm to 3pm at Carl Zehr Square at Kitchener City Hall to call on leaders to speed up the shift to renewable energy.  Organized by leading groups such as 350.org <http://350.org/>, 50x30 Waterloo Region, the Council of Canadians, Citizen’s Climate Lobby and Faith Climate Justice this family event will feature presentations by experts in solar power, heat pumps, geothermal power, and explore progress being made on Waterloo Region's TransformWR strategy.  Learn more from the poster below or at:

	https://globalpowerup.org/canada/

15) What We Need To Keep Working On - Issues that we need to ensure Doug Ford’s provincial government reverses course on include:

	Done! 1) Reverse the 15 Greenbelt Takeouts and see the Greenbelt integrity restored,

	2) Reversing the forced sale of Conservation Authority Lands and restoring the powers/duties of our Conservation Authorities,

	3) Ensuring that Regional Planning Authority is fully returned to Waterloo, Durham, Niagara, Halton, York, Peel, and Simcoe County,

	4) Cancelling the reclassification and downgrading of Provincially Significant Wetlands and the removal of wetland offsetting policies,

	5) Repeal of the unfettered ability to expand Settlement Area Boundaries anytime, for any reason, 

	Success!  5) Ensuring the cancellation and removal of severances for farmland and rural lands with a strong “No Rural Severances” policy,

	Success!  6) Rolling back of forced urban boundary expansions in Hamilton, Waterloo, Halton, Wellington, Ottawa, and elsewhere against local municipality decisions/official plans - particularly where sufficient new housing was already being accommodated within existing plans.

	Underway - 7) Calling for continued investigations by the RCMP, Auditor General and Integrity Commissioner - not only into this Greenbelt Scandal but also the very similar decisions by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing that had no public input or consultation on forced urban boundary expansions, MZO’s, Growth Plan elimination, Regional Planning changes, and the wetland evaluation system changes.

	8) Continuing to fight on other key issues such as Highway #413, the Bradford Bypass, Ontario Place, Healthcare, Education, etc.

16) Reminder - Meeting Next Friday - Join us next week - Friday, November 10th at 5:30pm to discuss the latest news and what’s next:

	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

Friday, November 3rd - 8pm to 9pm - Climate Emergency Vigil - Waterloo Public Square - https://www.faithclimatejustice.ca/climate-vigils.html

Saturday, November 4th - 1pm to 3pm - Kitchener City Hall - Global PowerUp! Rally - https://globalpowerup.org/canada/

Monday, November 6th - 10:00am - Continuation of Hallman Pit OLT Hearing - https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/979388733

Tuesday, November 7th - 7pm - Greenbelt Promise Webinar - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe86FfAcm38KchJi2ArUy9t-NLFitXjI8O_rThl0nO-JsRTBQ/viewform

Wednesday, November 8th - 7pm - Ontario Nature Webinar Wetland Community Resources for Advocates - https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PFUAcZImT8S0QYOzughi5g#/registration

Friday, November 10th - 5:30pm - Next update meeting on Zoom - https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82644695701?pwd=bnRsUGtWSUcrRnFWR21uYVBISG9jZz09

Tuesday, November 14th - 12pm - Ontario Farmland Trust Webinar - Intro to Farmland Protection Options - https://ontariofarmlandtrust.ca/2023/10/10/winter-webinars-register-today/

Thursday, November 30th - Final day to comment on ERO Deadline to the Greenbelt Statute Law Amendment Act  - https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/019-7739

Thursday, December 7th - Save the Date! - Local Celebration for Our Successes - Help us plan the location and event details.

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B) Speak Up On The ERO To Return Greenbelt Lands:

https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/019-7739

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B) Yours To Protect Promoting Our Efforts Province-Wide!

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E) PowerUP Rally Poster:

	https://globalpowerup.org/canada/

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F) Recent Media

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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
Paul Calandra - Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing - paul.calandra at pc.ola.org <mailto:steve.clark at pc.ola.org> or 416-585-7000
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
Will Bouma - MPP Brantford-Brant - will.bouma at pc.ola.org <mailto:will.bouma at pc.ola.org> or (519) 759-0361
Ted Arnott - MPP Wellington-Halton Hills - ted.arnott at pc.ola.org <mailto:ted.arnott at pc.ola.org> or (519) 787-5247
Ernie Hardeman - MPP Oxford - ernie.hardeman at pc.ola.org <mailto:ernie.hardeman at pc.ola.org> or (519) 537-5222
Matthew Rae - MPP Perth-Wellington - matthew.rae at pc.ola.org <mailto:matthew.rae at pc.ola.org> or (519) 272-0660

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 (Retiring and Soon To Be Vacant) - MPP Kitchener Centre - llindo-qp at ndp.on.ca <mailto:llindo-qp at ndp.on.ca> or 519-579-5460

Local Green Party MPPs:
Mike Schreiner - MPP Guelph - mschreiner at ola.org <mailto:mschreiner at ola.org> or (519) 836-4190

Independent MPPs:
Bobbi Ann Brady - MPP Haldimand-Norfolk - babrady-co at ola.org <mailto:babrady-co at ola.org> or (519) 428-0446

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

Kevin Thomason
Vice-Chair, Grand River Environmental Network
www.gren.ca <http://www.gren.ca/>

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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