Bill 23 is NOT about Housing – it’s about Handouts to Developers

The CUPE press conference on Monday, November 7 where a dozen union leaders stood shoulder to shoulder defending their rights was inspiring. It was a very clear statement about the power of people coming together. Doug Ford got the message and did the right thing by backing off.

It’s time to come together and stand up for our rights against provincial bill 23, misnamed the “More Homes Built Faster” Act. Ontario has more than enough land in existing urban boundaries to develop housing for decades. Bill 23 allows developers to build on wetlands and forests under the falsehood of getting homes built faster. Sprawling onto the Greenbelt is more expensive than building in existing urban areas so will result in less affordable and attainable housing and force people into car-dependent neighbourhoods. Developers will pay fewer development charges, resulting in tens of millions fewer dollars to Simcoe County for social housing and infrastructure resulting in tax increases. It removes the requirement for re-constructed buildings to replace lost rental units, strips Conservation Authorities of their power to protect ecosystems (or even provide municipalities with information to do so themselves) and favours developers over citizens in every appeal process. So who are the beneficiaries of this bill? The “people” or wealthy developers who got Ford elected?

Please contact MPP Brian Saunderson to express your displeasure (705-435-4087, Brian.Saunderson@pc.ola.org), attend a protest, sign a petition and spread the word. Our rights to clean air and water, food security, housing, walkable communities, climate resilience, and as taxpayers who shouldn’t pay developers’ fees, depend on it.

Call to Action

Attend the “Pop-up Rally” in Alliston from 11am to 12pm at MPP Brian Saunderson’s office at: Suite 28, 180 Parsons Rd. Alliston. Just bring yourself! I will have extra signs for those who want one. Please spread the word on social media using the above picture.
Copy and paste a submission to the Committee (the official feedback process):
1. Go to the OLA website: https://www.ola.org/en/apply-committees
2. Select Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022
3. Click “next page”
4. Select “Submit material only”
5. Select “next page”
6. Select whether you are submitting as an individual or group/organization
7. Enter contact information
8. Copy and paste the Submission text from this Submission Text Document into the box provided
9. Add your name and the date to the bottom of the submission
10. Select Submit
Call or email MPP Brian Saunderson and tell his office you would like to speak to him about your opposition to Bill 23: Form letter

More Analysis

Nov 8 Simcoe County Council meeting discuss Bill 23 here: The discussion around the Bill 23 begins at 35:06.

Environmental Defense: Ontario’s Housing Bill is Actually a Trojan Horse for Environmentally Catastrophic Rural Sprawl

Canadian Environmental Law Association: Reviewing Bill 23 – More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 – Canadian Environmental Law Association

Ontario Nature: Bill 23 Backgrounder November 2022

Resources on Green Building Standards: https://taf.ca/save-green-development-standards/

Housing Affordability Taskforce: Report of the Ontario Housing Affordability Task Force, Febuary 8, 2022

See p. 10 – “But a shortage of land isn’t the cause of the problem. Land is available, both inside the existing built-up areas and on undeveloped land outside greenbelts.”

And “Most of the solution must come from densification. Greenbelts and other environmentally sensitive areas must be protected, and farms provide food and food security. Relying too heavily on undeveloped land would whittle away too much of the already small share of land devoted to agriculture.”