NEWS

Conflict of interest overhaul recommended

Conflict of Interest

The results of a two-year inquiry requested by Collingwoods’ Town Council after an Ontario Provincial Police investigation into the partial sell-off of Collingwood’s electrical utility and alleged improprieties in how the proceeds were used to construct recreational facilities are in!

Frank Marrocco, Associate Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Ontario, just released his report – Report of the Collingwood Judicial Inquiry, Transparency and the Public Trust.

The Executive Summary states “undisclosed conflicts of interest marred many of the decisions made in respect to these two transactions, as did a series of unfair and precarious procurement practices. Combined, these factors left the transactions vulnerable to improper influence and cast doubt on both their legitimacy and the Town’s reputation.”

Dominion Foundry – Stop the demolition!

Dominion Foundry

The Dominion Foundry complex in the West Don Lands, a listed heritage site, is in imminent danger of demolition. We need your help to pressure the Province to stop the demolition and start talking about adaptive reuse of at least part of the site.

On January 14, a demolition crew arrived at the site to raze the Foundry buildings. Because these are provincial lands, no demolition permit was required and no notice was given to the City, the community or to heritage advocates. 

To add insult to injury, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing chose the first day of the emergency provincial lockdown to quietly move in demolition equipment.

Protecting Ontario’s Environmental Future

Woodland

Over 1200 people joined Environmental Defence’s live online discussion on January 12, to listen to Tim Gray, with special guests David Crombie, Anastasia Lintner and Anne Bell discuss Ontario’s environmental future.

If you missed the live discussion, it was recorded and is now available to watch on YouTube.

Ontario Cities Considering Tax on Vacant Homes

Boarded up house

Toronto City Council has approved an implementation plan to introduce a new tax on vacant Toronto homes starting in 2022. Ottawa City Council has asked staff to study whether such a tax would work in Ottawa.

The goal is not to increase revenue, but to increase the housing supply, by encouraging homeowners to sell or rent their unoccupied home. If they choose to continue to keep the home vacant (or boarded up), a tax is levied. This revenue can then be used to fund affordable housing projects.

Queen’s Park Report – Year End 2020

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Main Street

The cap is on 2020 – we wish you all the best for 2021!

The Federation of Urban Neighbourhoods had a busy year with many letters sent to the Province, virtual meetings and responses to consultations on issues. We have also updated and improved our website so that it is a vital resource for resident associations in urban areas across the province.

We all know that 2020 did not work out the way anybody expected. We have been forced to adjust and to do many things differently, as well as trying to make it all work better. Our municipal leaders have for the most part been listening and responsive.

The Province not so much. They have continued to make changes “under cover of COVID” that “benefit speculators, not people.”

Lake Simcoe Protection Plan public input requested

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Lake Simcoe - April 2018

The Ontario government is engaging with local partners, Indigenous communities and residents from the Lake Simcoe area to get their input on the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan.

The plan is the roadmap to improve the lake’s water quality, reduce pollutants such as phosphorus, support sustainable fisheries and address the impacts of invasive species. The feedback received will help determine if the document needs to be amended or updated.

Members of the public can take part in the 75-day public review of the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan by completing an online public survey between December 18, 2020 and March 3, 2021 and participating in a virtual town hall early in the new year. For more information and other ways to get involved in the review, visit the Protecting Lake Simcoe webpage.

Bill 197 (MZO) implementation feedback requested

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Opinion

The Ontario government is inviting comments concerning changes to certain legislative provisions in the Planning Act now in force with the enactment of Bill 197, the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act, 2020 that enable the Minister to address site plan matters and apply inclusionary zoning as part of a zoning order.

There has been much discussion and outcry over the increased use of Minister’s Zoning Orders to override local planning bodies and conservation authorities in order to push projects through. MZOs had previously only been used rarely – and only in cases where the public good was a major consideration.

The government is offering an opportunity to make your thoughts on this issue known – commenting is open until January 30, 2021.

Protecting Ontario’s Environmental Future

Watershed

What’s next after the gutting of the Conservation Authorities?

On December 8th, the provincial government passed a law making big changes to the way Conservation Authorities operate, handing major environmental planning decisions over to the government – and their developer friends.

But these huge and damaging changes were just the latest in a long string of attacks on Ontario’s environment, such as reduced protection for endangered species, planning an unnecessary highway through farmland and a portion of the Greenbelt, weakening climate action plans and approving developments on protected wetlands. Together it paints a very clear picture of who benefits: developers.

Bill 229 Update

Wilmot Creek

Unfortunately, Bill 229, including Schedule 6, with its attack on protections for Ontario wetlands, was passed into law on December 9, despite many protests from citizens and organizations across the province.

From Environmental Defence’s email to members:

“It can be hard to carry on the fight when it seems like the government won’t listen to reason or to the voices of its constituents. It’s crystal clear that this government is not “for the people” – but is for the special interests of a small group of influential developers and land speculators.

Curtail the misuse of Minister’s Zoning Orders

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Great Blue Heron - Tyler Butler

A Minister’s Zoning Order (MZOs) allows the Minister to directly zone land for particular purposes. The Minister does not have to give notice or consult with the public prior to issuing or revoking…

While people are dealing with the COVID pandemic, the Government of Ontario is setting the stage for development projects to proceed without public consultation or the right to appeal. Without alerting the public, the government has been issuing and revoking Minister’s Zoning Orders.

Zoning orders should be used rarely and judiciously. The recent flurry of decisions to expedite development on farmland and green space and in the City of Toronto by issuing or revoking zoning orders is a concerning trend.