There’s protest, and then there’s bullying
Justice Paul Rouleau recently found the prime minister justified in invoking the Emergencies Act last year to clear Ottawa of protesters. The bigger question is why so many protesters are mobilizing. These didn’t like masks. Lately too many want to protest any way they like.
An acquaintance’s granddaughter, who attended university in Ottawa, felt so intimidated she couldn’t go to her part-time evening job in that area. I lost all respect for those yahoos. Peaceful protest is a democratic right — but not bullying!
Rouleau even supported the decision to freeze protesters’ bank accounts under the circumstances. People should now consider possible consequences before joining some actions.
He assigned blame especially to the police and the province, stating Ontario should have been fully engaged from the outset.
Premier Doug Ford has faced criticism on nearly every file he’s handled. My strongest criticism is his disregard for democracy. It began right after his 2018 election. He cut Toronto’s council size by nearly half, after the campaign was already underway! Never mind that candidates had already invested significant time and money. Was he just sore that he’d come in second in his 2014 mayoral run?
Most provincial legislation (including the Planning Act) promotes public consultation, but his developer friends love tight new time limits, which municipalities can’t meet, and face penalties.
Municipalities seek responses from the public, and many departments and outside agencies — conservation authorities (CAs), railroads, education boards, provincial ministries, etc. They can’t assess consequences to a community without those crucial responses. So developers appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT).
Ford consults developers, but seldom municipalities — just imposes surprise legislation, with short time lines to respond on the ramifications. They try to reach him through joint requests from AMO (Association of Municipalities of Ontario). He embarked on home building — not affordable housing — just housing. Burlington developers build luxury highrises, little else.
Municipalities provide needed infrastructure, like roads, storm and sanitary sewers, parks and recreation buildings. Developers pay fees up front to partially cover these, but the province sets limits on what can be charged, which is fair. But recent changes have reduced developers’ fees, and local taxpayers have to pick up the shortfall. At a recent council meeting, Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward said new housing pays about 80 per cent of its way.
Now the Greenbelt is open for development. And what about his proposal for privatized health clinics? Will all providers have equal bidding opportunities, or will friends there move to the fast lane? He neutered CAs, which have been the watchdogs of our watersheds, but you need only read The Spec to see developers are applying to use flood plains.
Last month, Burlington was criticized for delaying approval of an application. The city was awaiting detailed downtown floodplain mapping from the CA. The developer wanted the OP and rezoning approved anyway — said any issues could be dealt with at the site plan stage. The city planner identified the risk — no-one knows yet if, or how much of the land, is floodprone!
A big problem is the OLT, usually chaired by one provincial appointee, who can overturn decisions of elected councils. In Canada, only Ontario does this. Cities have OPs and zoning bylaws, to which projects must conform. I follow local issues closely, and would be hard pressed to cite an application in the last four or five years that was even close to conforming. Affected citizens know developers today apply for outrageous deviations from height, density and parking standards, yet the OLT grants them. I read a recent stat that 97 per cent are approved.
Cars aren’t going the way of the dodo soon, and electric vehicles are being strongly promoted.
Without adequate on-site parking, the OLT is inviting neighbourhood wars.
And where will the cars park during snow events, like last week, when plows are hustling?