Climate Action Muskoka Raises the Alarm on Ontario Bill 23
Muskoka Watershed Council – Muskoka’s Natural Heritage and Bill 23
Doug Ford is gutting Ontario conservation authorities – The Narwhal
“It will make it easier to build the right type of housing in the right places,” Ford told industry stakeholders, with a grin.
But Ford didn’t say his plan depends in part on a massive gutting of conservation authorities, which oversee and protect vital and deteriorating watersheds. The Narwhal.
All the Ontario environmental protections Doug Ford wants to overhaul to build more houses.
Aiming to reduce developers’ ‘regulatory obligations’ around Ontario’s parks, protected spaces and wetlands, the Ford government also wants to limit residents’ ability to object. more here
Industry Leaders Lobby Against Bill 23
November 28, 2022 – The extent of the criticism has reached a new high … after a contingent of industry leading design firms came together to pen an open letter to the Government with a clear message: Bill 23 needs to go back to the drawing board.
…The group wastes little time making their main argument, asserting that the activation of Bill 23 will only exacerbate the housing issues we are already facing in this Province while simultaneously harming the already fragile standards for climate change, mitigation, and heritage conservation. – read more here
The Importance of the Greenbelt to Ontario
Illustration by Catherine Farley/Toronto Star
Ontario police anti-rackets branch quietly looking into Greenbelt development: Global News
Jan 5, 2023 – Global News
Investigators with the Ontario Provincial Police’s anti-rackets branch have begun quietly conducting interviews to determine whether to launch an investigation into the Ford government’s controversial decision to open up parts of Ontario’s Greenbelt for development. – Read article / watch videos.
Links to more comment on Bill 23
Bait and Switch: Understanding Bill 23, The ‘More Sprawl, Fewer Wetlands’ Act – YouTube – Environmental Defence
Unpacking Bill 23 – More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 | AMO – Association of Ontario Municipalities
“A Death Sentence for the Greenbelt”: Experts Weigh in on Housing Plan | storeys.com
Bill 23 Backgrounder – November 2022 – Page 1 (publitas.com) Ontario Nature
Speaking_Notes_Bill-23_Committee-Presentation_Nov_9_2022-1.pdf (cela.ca) Canadian Environmental Law Association
Ontario New Housing Act Slammed for Promoting Sprawl, Weakening Protections | theenergymix.com
Opinion in Local Media
Using notwithstanding clause just a smokescreen, says Muskoka reader