“Pushback on Bill 23 must continue!” Ontario Greens Leader, Mike Schreiner
To those 130 who braved the freezing rain for last week’s Town Hall, Ontario Greens Leader, Mike Schreiner, did not disappoint. The key takeaway from both the introductory remarks and the Q&A was the need to keep up the pressure and take action, especially in Conservative held ridings, to rescind Bill 23 “The More Homes Built Faster Act”.
Here’s why ….
- Bill 23 dismantles decades of protections on farmlands, wetlands, shorelines and forests
- Bill 23 will make the housing affordability crisis worse
- Bill 23 will create more sprawl, a driver of climate pollution
- Bill 23 will increase property taxes without development fees for infrastructure including parks
Responding to questions from the audience, Mike agreed the definition of a truly affordable home should mean a maximum of 30% of income spent on housing, not 80% of market value as in this legislation. We need to move away from fossil fuels to renewables (now the most cost-efficient); we need to retrofit to energy efficient housing and heating with heat pumps (a real green jobs opportunity); we need to protect our farmlands, forests, shorelines and wetlands. And there is no doubt electoral reform is required to enable parties to work together to solve the biggest issues of our time and to better represent the citizens of Ontario.
In both morning and afternoon sessions, Mike Schreiner listened to the concerns of 22 Mayors and councillors representing 11 municipalities across Parry Sound-Muskoka. One Mayor summed up the views of all, “This legislation cuts us off at the knees,” with the loss of site plan approvals. These are the only tools municipalities have to protect shorelines, forests and wetlands from over-development. Municipal politicians also identified the legislation’s lack of specific incentives to build affordable housing for average workers in Parry Sound-Muskoka. (For a more details, see the attached summary).
Pushback to rescind this bill must continue!
Here’s how ….
Take action and join Climate Action Muskoka and fellow Ontario Green Party supporters at the Welcome Back Doug Rally at Queen’s Park, Saturday, Feb. 25!
For more information and pics – HERE
– Your Parry Sound-Muskoka Greens