OMB must be reined in now
Re Contested development, Feb. 17 The OMB has been a long-standing curse for every municipality it has dictated over. As councillor in the city of Vaughan, I will say that the OMB’s inherent pro-development stance has removed all development control by elected officials and the public who have contributed hours participating in its new Official Plan process.
When an Official Plan has been approved by municipal, regional and provincial governments, the OMB needs to refuse hearing any cases that deviate from the approved plan. Anything less is a mockery of the real public process.
The OMB is out of control; it has given itself powers above and beyond even the province. This must stop.
The OMB can no longer impose its own growth plans on a siteby-site basis when they have no knowledge or appreciation of the bigger, citywide picture. The OMB’s bias in support of unfettered development has empowered many developers to book OMB hearings even before the matter comes before a statutory public hearing, an intimidation tactic used far too often against the municipalities and its affected residents.
Real change needs to happen this spring and I look forward to the province reining in this renegade board before they further the irreparable damage they continue to cause to all municipalities. Councillor Marilyn Iafrate, Vaughan