[All] Developers Launch Legal Action Against GDS, Citizens Launch Legal Action Against Bill 212 & Caledon, Auditor General Report Fallout Continues, ALO Report Launched, Join Us Tonight (Friday) at 5:30 To Discuss
Kevin Thomason
kevinthomason at mac.com
Fri Dec 13 12:11:17 EST 2024
Good Day,
The legislature rose for its winter break on Thursday for another extra extended break. They will not return until March 3rd as Premier Doug Ford overrode the original schedule to be back in session on February 18th.
While the fallout from the recent Auditor General’s Reports continue, it is concerning to see developers challenging Toronto’s long-standing and successful Green Development Standards. Citizens too are responding with legal action against Bill 212 and the removal of bike lanes as well as the massive unplanned expansion of Caledon approved recently with little proper process or study. Also, the Alliance For A Liveable released a new report on how to make housing affordable. Join us on Zoom tonight (Friday) at 5:30pm to discuss and learn more:
Join us tonight - Friday, December 13th at 5:30pm for our last meeting of the year:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82644695701?pwd=bnRsUGtWSUcrRnFWR21uYVBISG9jZz0 <https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82644695701?pwd=bnRsUGtWSUcrRnFWR21uYVBISG9jZz09>
Here’s the latest:
1) Bill 212 Challenged - The group Cycle Toronto has launched legal action and served notice to the province to seek an injunction from the courts to stop the removal of bike lanes on Bloor Street, Yonge Street, and University Ave in Toronto that puts lives at risk and violates rights to life and security of person. According to legal experts this is a strong case due to the “disregard for available evidence” that bike lanes save lives. Learn more in these articles:
The Toronto Star - Doug Ford’s Bike Lane Law Target Of A Charter Challenge:
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/doug-ford-s-bike-lane-law-target-of-a-charter-challenge/article_dad7c68e-b7cc-11ef-8450-2fcb0586e326.html
CBC - Court Challenge Launched Against Ontario Bike Lane Removal Legislation:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/court-challenge-bike-lanes-ontario-law-1.7407324
This article notes that Michael Longfield, executive director of Cycle Toronto, was supposed to announce the court challenge at a news conference at Queen’s Park, but was unable to appear because he was injured when he was hit by a car door while cycling in a painted bike lane on St. George Street on Monday.
The Trillium - Cycling Charity Files Court Challenge Against Bike Lane Removals:
https://www.thetrillium.ca/news/municipalities-transit-and-infrastructure/bike-lane-removal-charity-legal-challenge-toronto-9939976
Highway #413 Poll Shows Public Expecting Federal Support - Also related to Bill 212, Environmental Defence has released a poll showing GTA voters will punish Federal Liberals if they let Highway #413 proceed without being designated under the Impact Assessment Act:
https://environmentaldefence.ca/2024/12/12/polling-shows-gta-voters-would-punish-federal-liberals-if-they-fail-to-designate-413-for-impact-assessment-and-protect-habitat-and-waterways/
Action Required - Keep speaking up to Federal elected officials about Highway #413, with Provincial elected officials about better cycling infrastructure, and support Ecojustice and Cycle Toronto in their legal challenge.
2) Auditor General's Report Fallout Continues - The scathing Auditor General report's on the disaster at Ontario Place, the fiasco of the Science Centre, the improper use of MZO’s, and many other troubling issues from Doug Ford's provincial government continued to generate media articles and concern. In particular the lack of transparency, lack of process, lack of information, and lack of rationale cited about the numerous MZO’s issued by the government are patterns also seen in many other current issues.
The newspaper article below is questioning just how so much can go wrong and have such costs to taxpayers with no political consequences?:
The Record - Scathing Auditor’s Report Raises A Lot Of Questions About Doug Ford’s Government - But Here’s The Hardest One To Answer:
https://www.therecord.com/opinion/contributors/scathing-auditor-s-report-raises-a-lot-of-questions-about-doug-ford-s-government-but/article_0e3fcefb-cfbb-50ba-8895-838e20310f70.html
Why do citizens accept a Premier that is so wasteful of their money and so consistently working against the greater public good?
Action Required - We need to speak up and ensure that other citizens are aware of these concerns being raised about our provincial government that are clearly not in the best public interest. Consider over the holidays writing Op-Ed articles, Letters To The Editor, have discussions with friends/family, and lets try to ensure better governance for our communities.
3) Democracy Caledon Launches Legal Actions - Kudos to Caledon residents who have announced unprecedented legal action taking the Town Of Caledon to court over massive urban sprawl rezoning that threatens farmland and the Greenbelt. In a well attended community meeting on Wednesday night, Democracy Caledon explained how they were hoping to cancel 12 zoning bylaws done without proper planning and get back to their Official Plan of phased growth and good planning.
Recent polling showed that almost 80% of respondents believed the rezoning without proper planning and financial forecasting was irresponsible. Democracy Caledon is citing poor Council meeting notice, inadequate information, unhelpful information sessions, and an appalling disregard for resident’s concerns in their legal action. Learn more in the PDF’s attached below in Section B) or on their website at:
https://www.democracycaledon.org/
Read the media release about the legal action:
https://www.democracycaledon.org/single-project
Action Required - Support Democracy Caledon and see how we can use similar tactics to encourage better planning in our Grand River Watershed Communities.
4) Fight For Farmland - It was great to see strong delegations and a good turnout of supporters at Wednesday’s Region of Waterloo Council meeting where once again Regional Councillors got to see and hear firsthand just how upset and unwilling landowners and citizens are about this absurd mega-industrial site being proposed for prime Wilmot farmland.
Watch the excellent delegations from Stephen Palmateer and Katie Honek on the Regional Youtube Channel at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRbnIlGFd0M
Middlesex County Ontario Federation of Agriculture AGM - The Fight For Farmland was the keynote presentation way down in southwestern Ontario at the Middlesex County OFA AGM on Thursday night. It was fantastic to see the strong support and many questions from farmers who may be many miles from Wilmot but are worried about the precedents being set here and the impacts on farmers across the province should this industrial mega-site proceed without a single public meeting, study, report, nor any financial costing.
51% Wilmot Tax Increase - The Fight For Farmland group issued a media release (attached below in Section C as a PDF) on Thursday addressing the astounding 51% tax increase being proposed by Wilmot Township Staff. The media release stresses that the massive increase stems from decades of improper financial planning and not the severely bungled Wilmot Land Assembly. It also emphasized that there is no evidence that the Land Assembly will provide any financial benefit to the municipality will most likely only further deepen the Township’s troubles and financial woes.
There will be upcoming Townhall meetings held by Wilmot Councillors about the tax increase that you are encouraged to attend and speak up regarding concerns, the need to declare we are unwilling, and abandon this mega-industrial site. Details are as follows:
Wilmot Ward 2 Townhall Meeting - Councillor Kris Wilkinson - Saturday, Dec 14th from 10 am to 12 noon at the St. Agatha Community Centre, 1791 Erbs Road, St. Agatha
Wilmot Ward 3 Townhall Meeting - Councillor Harvir Sidhu - Thursday, Jan 2nd from 7pm to 8:30pm in Meeting Room A, Wilmot Recreation Centre, 1291 Nafziger Road, Baden
Here’s recent media regarding this staggering tax increase:
The Record - Wilmot’s Budget Troubles Didn’t Happen Overnight:
https://www.therecord.com/opinion/columnists/wilmots-budget-troubles-didnt-happen-overnight/article_04631291-8723-5ee4-83dc-b70c8623210f.html
CityNews - There Is No Fat To Be Trimmed, Wilmot Council, Staff Discuss 50% Tax Hike In 2025 Draft Budget:
https://kitchener.citynews.ca/2024/12/10/theres-no-fat-to-be-trimmed-wilmot-council-staff-discuss-50-per-cent-tax-hike-in-2025-draft-budget/?
Learn From Stratford - Get Concerned Stratford and Mike Balkwill have released a book on effective community campaign organizing and how they were able to win the battle over the $400 million Xinyi glass plant. Learn more in the following CBC article and purchase the book at the included links:
CBC - New Book Chronicles How Stratford Residents Defeated A Proposal To Build A Factory On Their Farmland:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/stratford-a-winning-campaign-book-glass-plant-1.7403773
Region Bungles Another Massive Industrial Site - Incompetence at the Region of Waterloo has cost taxpayers a staggering $13.7 million as important development charges collecting less than one third of the development charges needed to pay for services and infrastructure for the huge Amazon warehouse in Blair/Cambridge that were not charged to the developer. The Region then lost subsequent appeals to have the charges levied. It’s an appalling situation to see the very benefits to the community these developments are cited for completely missed out on and instead citizens subsidizing and paying the way for one of the largest and most profitable companies in the world. It’s an unfortunate error by the Region but also shameful that Amazon and the developer would fight paying their fair share and leave taxpayers on the hook for the needed infrastructure for their facility.
The Region and Province have bungled every single step of the Wilmot mega-industrial site so far too and need to abandon things before it too becomes a multi-million dollar drain on taxpayers. Learn more:
CambridgeToday.ca - Region Erroneously Discounted Amazon Warehouse Build Fees By $13.7M:
https://www.cambridgetoday.ca/local-news/region-erroneously-discounted-amazon-warehouse-build-by-137m-9927992
The Record - Waterloo Region Faces $14M Shortfall After Miscalculating Charge On Amazon Warehouse:
https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/waterloo-region-faces-14m-shortfall-after-miscalculating-charge-on-amazon-warehouse/article_1d93162b-8223-5e2e-8fed-db5d8372f814.html
Upcoming Council Meetings - Join us on Monday, December 16th at the Township of Wilmot where we will be presenting hundreds of signed petitions to Wilmot Council demanding that the Township properly represent its residents and declare that we are Unwilling. If you can add your voice and speak up at this upcoming meeting please register to speak with the Wilmot Clerk at clerks at wilmot.ca <mailto:clerks at wilmot.ca>.
Due to winter weather and early, dark nights we won’t have any rallies or protests in advance of thismeeting though we encourage you to come in-person to the Council Chambers for the meeting and show your support for the delegations.
Wilmot Township Council: 60 Snyder’s Road West, Baden - Monday, December 16th - Council Meeting starts at 7:00 pm
Action Required - Attend upcoming events, and call or write elected officials at Wilmot Township, the Region of Waterloo and the provincial government and tell them to finally abandon this absurd Wilmot Industrial Mega-site location - that we are an UNWILLING community, the landowners have made it clear they are UNWILLING, and a better plan is needed.
5) Developers Launch Legal Action Over Toronto’s Very Successful Green Development Standards - It’s extremely troubling to see developers and building trade organizations launching legal actions to try to destroy Toronto’s very successful Green Development Standards that have been in place for well over a decade and that have successfully transformed Toronto’s buildings to be far more efficient, resilient, and comfortable while significantly lowering Greenhouse Gas emissions. We need to push back and shame these developers for working so against the greater public good and the huge benefits that these standards and other high performance building standards bring to our communities.
The Narwhal - Ontario Developers Sue Toronto Over Green Building Standards:
https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-developers-sue-toronto/
WRHBA and Thomasfield Oppose Local Green Development Standards - Here in the Grand River watershed it is equally appalling to see efforts by Thomasfield Homes in Breslau, and the Waterloo Region Home Builder’s Association (WRHBA) to launch attacks to undermine the High-Performance Building Standards being proposed by Waterloo Community Energy as a huge component of our commitment to reach Paris Accord climate commitments of 50% GHG reduction by 2030 and 80% GHG reductions by 2050. See their shameful letters from Wednesday’s Region of Waterloo Council meeting in Section D) below.
Action Required - Speak up to elected officials and let them know you are demanding climate action and that they deliver on their promise to meet climate commitments of which Green Development Standards and improving our buildings will be one of the most important actions. We need to shame these developers and builders for acting so against the greater public good and encourage everyone to work towards the efficient net-zero homes we need.
6) Ontario Increases Energy Procurement By 50% And Is Positioning Ontario For More Gas Fired Power Generation - After cancelling green energy projects in their first week in office at the cost of hundreds of millions of dollars to taxpayers while depriving us of clean, efficient energy resulting in a massive increase of fossil gas plant toxic emissions, the Ford government is realizing the scope of our energy needs and is scrambling to secure enough energy supply. The province just announced an additional 50% increase in their energy procurement competition to 7,500 MW the province is now seeking. While the province claims the process will be technology-agnostic and will protect prime farmland, criteria is actually skewed to promote nuclear and unsustainable fossil fuels as well as long 20 year contracts.
There does seem to be a new admission of a need for energy storage and small-scale solar installations to provide sustainable and affordable energy as more businesses and customers demand sustainable solutions. It also seems that community support will be an important component for decisions which could greatly complicate wind and other types of clean energy projects due to very vocal opponents.
The Toronto Star - Minister Leece Is Moving The Goalpost On Renewable Energy Procurement:
https://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/doug-fords-government-just-supercharged-its-power-plan-but-have-the-green-goalposts-been-moved/article_8a96d8b2-b7ff-11ef-99bc-6b887d565009.html
“Ontario is going in the opposite direction as the rest of the world when it comes to how clean our grid is. It’s a major concern because decisions made now would lock in a lot of very expensive and slow to build nuclear and very polluting and expensive gas for decades."
Learn more at: https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1005479/ontario-expands-largest-competitive-energy-procurement-in-provinces-history
Action Required - Speak up now before Ontario gets locked into long-term fossil fuel driven energy contracts and support organizations such as the Ontario Clean Air Alliance that is doing great work to move Ontario to 100% renewable electricity- www.cleanairalliance.org.
7) Communities Push Back On Premier Threatening Notwithstanding Clause To Deal With Homelessness - It’s good to see Council’s standing up for their most vulnerable citizens while opposing their Mayors and the Premier on the use of Notwithstanding Clause and the overriding or personal rights and freedoms to dissemble homeless encampments:
The Spectator - County Of Brant Council Opposes Notwithstanding Clause:
https://www.thespec.com/news/canada/county-of-brant-council-opposes-notwithstanding-clause/article_8d109f9d-d77b-5aae-a187-637e4a8b9eb8.html
Brant Beacon - Notwithstanding Clause Causing Tension Amongst Ontario Municipalities:
https://www.brantbeacon.ca/notwithstanding-clause-causing-tension-amongst-ontario-municipalities/
Guelph Today - [Guelph] Council Formally Opposes Use Or Notwithstanding Clause:
https://www.guelphtoday.com/local-news/council-formally-opposes-use-of-notwithstanding-clause-9940916
In October, Mayor Cam Guthrie was among several mayors who signed a joint letter calling on the provincial government to protect municipalities that remove encampments from court challenges under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms by using the notwithstanding clause.
Other Pushback - New Ford government legislation that targets encampments is the subject of motions to oppose and likely legal challenges:
The Hamilton Spectator - Doug Ford To Crack Down On Homeless Encampments With Fines And Funding:
https://www.thespec.com/politics/provincial/doug-ford-to-crack-down-on-homeless-encampments-with-fines-for-drug-use-and-more/article_4b0194aa-703f-5cb1-b4fa-0729e3e74533.html
$75.5M allocated province-wide for shelters (completely inadequate to address the magnitude of this).
The Trillium - Anti-encampment Bill Promises To Give Ontarians Back Their Parks:
https://www.thetrillium.ca/news/politics/anti-encampment-bill-promises-to-give-ontarians-back-their-parks-9948176
Financial Times - Ford Conservatives Prefer to Victimize the Vulnerable and Punish the Poor Rather than Provide Real Solutions: CUPE:
https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-wire-news-releases-pmn/ford-conservatives-prefer-to-victimize-the-vulnerable-and-punish-the-poor-rather-than-provide-real-solutions-cupe-ontario
CBC - Ontario’s Supervised Consumption Law Violates Charter, Group Says In Legal Challenge:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-supervised-drug-consumption-sites-legal-challenge-1.7406760
Diana Chan McNally Analysis Of New Legislation (Bluesky Thread):
https://bsky.app/profile/dianacmcnally.bsky.social/post/3ld4uegljhs2e
CBC - Stiffer Penalties For Trespassing, Public Drug Use In Ontario Bill Aimed At Ending Encampments:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ford-homeless-encampments-drug-use-housing-ontario-1.7408376
The Record - Doug Ford’s Answer to Encampments Is A Phoney War Waged Against Homeless People:
https://www.therecord.com/politics/political-opinion/doug-fords-answer-to-encampments-is-a-phoney-war-waged-against-homeless-people/article_bd705347-216e-5aa6-9f23-4019d8eaf401.html
“The Premier’s plan won’t put people in houses. It will put them in jails."
Official Announcement - Ontario Restoring Safety To Public Parks And Public Spaces:
https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1005484/ontario-restoring-safety-to-parks-and-public-spaces
8) Recent Articles - Include new provincial laws limiting citizen community action, Kitchener affordable housing announcements, Greenbelt development threats, effective climate action, and Doug Ford being worse than Donald Trump for the Ontario economy:
The Toronto Star - We Are In Legal Limbo: Casa Loma Residents Opposing New Development Face A Tougher Fight After Doug Ford’s Housing Law:
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/we-are-in-this-legal-limbo-casa-loma-residents-opposing-new-development-face-a-tougher/article_2b9d8dd0-a2c7-11ef-8cc0-37b323adaafd.html
The Record - Kitchener Provides Land For Affordable Housing:
https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/kitchener-provides-land-for-affordable-housing-near-highway-85/article_33726b2d-6198-587c-bd52-488628dde90d.html
The Trillium - Niagara Escarpment Developments Threaten Vast Swath Of Greenbelt: Advocates:
https://www.thetrillium.ca/news/energy-and-the-environment/niagara-escarpment-developments-threaten-vast-swath-of-greenbelt-advocates-9919176
Canada’s National Observer- Climate Activists Need A New Mantra - Build Baby Build:
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2024/12/10/opinion/climate-activists-mantra-build-energy
The Toronto Star - Think Donald Trump Would Be Bad For Ontario’s Economy? Look What Doug Ford Has Already Done:
https://www.thestar.com/politics/political-opinion/think-donald-trump-would-be-bad-for-ontarios-economy-look-at-what-doug-ford-has/article_41c0a23e-b805-11ef-924c-1be5915538d1.html
9) Ontario Place For All Follows Up AG Report - The Ontario Place For All Group has a new letter to allow you to take action stemming from the recent Auditor General’s report citing so many concerns about the Ontario Place redevelopment. Take action at:
Ontario Place For All - Demand The Ontario Government Cease The Lease And Repeal The MegaSpa Deal:
https://ontarioplaceforall.com/takeaction/
10) ALO Releases New Housing Affordability Report - The Alliance For A Liveable Ontario has released their new report "Taking Action Together: Five Ways Political Parties Can Make Homes Affordable in Ontario.” It was signed by over 200 prominent Ontarians, and civil society groups.. The report is now in the hands of all Ontario party leaders and they're working to meet with them as soon as they can.
Read the report and media release: https://www.liveableontario.ca/alliance-resources/five-ways-home-report-to-political-party-leaders
Action Required - Please share this report and ensure elected officials know how we can make homes more affordable in Ontario while protecting our environment and farmland.
11) ALO Announces Election Readiness Webinar - The Alliance For A Liveable Ontario has announced a webinar on January 8th, 2025 at 7:00pm to prepare for an early Spring provincial election. Learn how we can help to convince friends, family and neighbours to make housing affordability and building a liveable Ontario an election priority.
Register at the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_28eLse0NQOeOAIdsHD2uZQ#/registration
12) Waterloo Climate Collaborative - The next Waterloo Region Climate Collaborative meeting will be Wednesday, January 8th at REEP House. It will be one year since the collaborative first organized to support each group and shared efforts. Part of this next meeting will focus on strategic planning since there is an opportunity to apply for funding. Please save the date and plan to attend:
Date: January 8th from 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Location: REEP House - 20 Mill Street, Kitchener or virtually please e-mail wrclimatecollab at gmail.com
13) Brantford To Study Amalgamation With Brant County - Brantford Mayor Kevin Davis is commissioning a study on amalgamation with Brant County again (he attempted this back in 2019) despite the County of Brant being “unequivocally opposed” to amalgamation:
The Expositor - Brantford Mayor Set To Commission Study On Amalgamation With Brant County:
https://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/news/local-news/brantford-mayor-set-to-commission-study-on-amalgamation-with-brant-county
From May 2019:
The Expositor - City Wants To Look At Amalgamation Process:
https://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/news/local-news/city-wants-to-look-at-amalgamation-process
14) Additional Articles - Include the grip of Big Oil, less jobs under Doug Ford, and College cutbacks.
The Toronto Star - Our Leaders Rarely Acknowledge The Grip That Big Oil Has On Canada. That’s Why What Catherine McKenna Did Was So Striking:
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/doug-ford-s-bike-lane-law-target-of-a-charter-challenge/article_dad7c68e-b7cc-11ef-8450-2fcb0586e326.html
“people must come to understand that our climate predicament is actually solvable, but we’re not solving it because Big Oil is blocking us - and that’s a crime not a tragedy…. Catherine McKenna strips the greenwashing masks off oil executives and reveals them to be scheming con artists, indifferent to the fate of the world, whose goal (making endless money) doesn’t align at all with our goal (surviving).
The Trillium - Ontario Has Fewer Manufacturing Jobs Than When The PCs Took Power:
https://www.thetrillium.ca/insider-news/government-finance-and-the-economy/ontario-has-fewer-manufacturing-jobs-than-when-the-pcs-took-power-9929665
Global - ‘No College Will Be Spared: International Student Cap Bites In Ontario:
https://globalnews.ca/news/10912982/ontario-college-layoffs-international-student-reliance/
15) Cooperate for Canada - The C4C plan is to encourage the Liberals, NDP and Greens to work together - without any mergers - to ensure we elect governments that better reflect the values, concerns, and priorities of the majority of Canadians. There is both a federal focus https://cooperateforcanada.ca/ and an Ontario focus https://cooperateforcanada.ca/ontario/
C4C has been updating the info they’ve compiled about the record of the Ford PC government on the multiple issues the people of Ontario are facing (spoiler alert: it’s bleak):
https://cooperateforcanada.ca/2024/07/16/ontario-premier-doug-fords-record/
Take action by signing and sharing the voting pledges:
https://cooperateforcanada.ca/voting-pledges/
Get Involved: A Grand River chapter has been established with a plan for cooperation involving the local group of ridings in Guelph, the Region of Waterloo, and Brantford-Brant. Reach out to Kae Elgie or Joan Faux or send a message: https://cooperateforcanada.ca/contact-us/
New chapters are also being organized in Toronto, Niagara, Ottawa, Kingston and elsewhere. Encourage people you know to get involved in these areas too or start their own chapter.
16) Reminder - Next Meeting - Join us today, Friday, December 13th at 5:30pm online at the Zoom link below:
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, Mike Marcolongo, and Joan Faux on behalf of all our community groups.
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A) Upcoming Events - Get out and get involved! And keep us posted on your events so we can share them:
Friday, December 13th - 5:30pm - Next group update meeting on Zoom - https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82644695701?pwd=bnRsUGtWSUcrRnFWR21uYVBISG9jZz09
Monday, December 16th - 7pm - Fight For Farmland Delegations at Wilmot Township Council - www.fightforfarmland.com <http://www.fightforfarmland.com/>
Wednesday, January 8th - 7pm - Alliance For A Liveable Ontario Election Readiness Webinar - https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_28eLse0NQOeOAIdsHD2uZQ#/registration
Wednesday, January 8th from 6:30pm to 8:30pm - Waterloo Climate Collaborative Strategic Planning Meeting - https://wrclimatecollaborative.ca/
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B) Democracy Caledon Legal Actions:

Learn more at: https://www.democracycaledon.org/
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C) Fight For Farmland - Media Release Confronting Wilmot 51% Tax Increase Rumours:

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D) Waterloo Developers Launch Legal Action Over Local Green Development Standards:
Waterloo Region Home Builder’s Association Attacks High Performance Development Standards:

Thomasfield Homes Actions Against High-Performance Development Standards:

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E) Speak Up and Ensure Your Voice is Heard:
Wilmot Township Council
Natasha Salonen, Mayor, Wilmot, natasha.salonen at wilmot.ca <mailto:natasha.salonen at wilmot.ca> or 519-634-8519 x 9351
Stewart Cressman, Councillor Ward 1, Wilmot, stewart.cressman at wilmot.ca <mailto:stewart.cressman at wilmot.ca> or 519-807-1496
Kris Wilkinson, Councillor Ward 2, Wilmot, kris.wilkinson at wilmot.ca <mailto:kris.wilkinson at wilmot.ca> or 519-807-4173
Harvir Sidhu, Councillor Ward 3, Wilmot, harvir.sidhu at wilmot.ca <mailto:harvir.sidhu at wilmot.ca> or 519-807-2521
Lillianne Dunstall, Councillor Ward 4, Wilmot, lillianne.dunstall at wilmot.ca <mailto:lillianne.dunstall at wilmot.ca> or 519-807-4975
Steven Martin, Councillor Ward 4, Wilmot, steven.martin at wilmot.ca <mailto:steven.martin at wilmot.ca> or 519-807-5214
Region of Waterloo Council
Karen Redman, Regional Chair, kredman at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:kredman at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Berry Vrbanovic, Mayor, Kitchener, berryv at kitchener.ca <mailto:berryv at kitchener.ca>
Dorothy McCabe, Mayor, City of Waterloo, dorothy.mccabe at waterloo.ca <mailto:dorothy.mccabe at waterloo.ca>
Jan Liggett, Cambridge Mayor, Cambridge, liggettj at cambridge.ca <mailto:liggettj at cambridge.ca>
Sue Foxton, Mayor, North Dumfries, sfoxton at northdumfries.ca <mailto:sfoxton at northdumfries.ca>
Natasha Salonen, Mayor, Wilmot, natasha.salonen at wilmot.ca <mailto:natasha.salonen at wilmot.ca>
Joe Nowak, Mayor, Wellesley, jnowak at wellesley.ca <mailto:jnowak at wellesley.ca>
Sandy Shantz, Mayor, Woolwich, sshantz at woolwich.ca <mailto:sshantz at woolwich.ca>
Doug Craig, Regional Councillor, Cambridge, dougcraig at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:dougcraig at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Pam Wolf, Regional Councillor, Cambridge, pwolf at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:pwolf at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Colleen James, Regional Councillor, Kitchener, CJames at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:CJames at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Michael Harris, Regional Councillor, Kitchener, MHarris at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:MHarris at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Kari Williams, Regional Councillor, Kitchener, KariWilliams at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:KariWilliams at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Rob Deutschmann, Regional Councillor, Kitchener, RDeutschmann at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:RDeutschmann at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Jim Erb, Regional Councillor, Waterloo, JErb at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:JErb at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Chantal Huinink, Regional Councillor, Waterloo, CHuinink at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:CHuinink at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Province of Ontario
Premier Doug Ford - doug.fordco at pc.ola.org <mailto:doug.fordco at pc.ola.org> or 416-325-1941 - available 24/7 - all calls confidential
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
Andrea Khanjin - Minster of Environment, Conservation and Parks - andrea.khanjin at pc.ola.org <mailto:andrea.khanjin at pc.ola.org> or 705-722-0575
Vic Fedeli - Minister of Economic Development- vic.fedeli at pc.ola.org <mailto:vic.fedeli at pc.ola.org> or 416-326-8475
Rob Flack - Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness - rob.flack at pc.ola.org <mailto:rob.flack at pc.ola.org> or 416-326-3074
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 - Minister of Red Tape Reduction, 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
Local Green Party MPPs:
Mike Schreiner - MPP Guelph - mschreiner at ola.or <mailto:mschreiner at ola.org>g or (519) 836-4190
Aislinn Clancy - MPP Kitchener Centre - aclancy-co at ola.org <mailto:aclancy-co at ola.org> or 519-579-5460
Independent MPPs:
Bobbi Ann Brady - MPP Haldimand-Norfolk - babrady-co at ola.org <mailto:babrady-co at ola.org> or (519) 428-0446
Federal Members of Parliament
Local Liberal MPs:
Bryan May - MP Cambridge - bryan.may at parl.gc.ca <mailto:bryan.may at parl.gc.ca> or (519) 624-7440
Tim Louis - MP Kitchener-Conestoga - tim.louis at parl.gc.ca <mailto:tim.louis at parl.gc.ca> or (519) 578-3777
Valerie Bradford - MP Kitchener-South Hespeler - valerie.bradford at parl.gc.ca <mailto:valerie.bradford at parl.gc.ca> or (519) 571-5509
Bardish Chagger - MP Waterloo - bardish.chagger at parl.gc.ca <mailto:bardish.chagger at parl.gc.ca> or (519) 746-1573
Lloyd Longfield - MP Guelph - lloyd.longfield at parl.gc.ca <mailto:lloyd.longfield at parl.gc.ca> or (519) 837-8276
Local Conservative MPs:
Michael Chong - MP Wellington-Halton Hills - michael.chong at parl.gc.ca <mailto:michael.chong at parl.gc.ca> or (519) 843-7344
Larry Brock - MP Brantford-Brant - larry.brock at parl.gc.ca <mailto:larry.brock at parl.gc.ca> or (519) 754-4300
John Nater - MP Perth-Wellington - john.nater at parl.gc.ca <mailto:john.nater at parl.gc.ca> or (519) 273-1400
Local Green Party MPs:
Mike Morrice - MP Kitchener - mike.morrice at parl.gc.ca <mailto:mike.morrice at parl.gc.ca> or (519) 741-2001
-----------------------------------
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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