Community Groups Celebrate Provincial Cancellation of Forced Urban Boundary Expansions

Province Backtracks On Overriding Official Plans And Will Respect Decisions Made By Local And Regional Councils

For Immediate Release: October 24, 2023

Waterloo – Concerned citizens from climate change groups, environmental organizations, labour unions, neighbourhood associations, affordable housing groups, tenant’s unions, and agricultural organizations are joining together to applaud the provincial government’s decision to reverse the forced urban boundary expansions it enacted almost a year ago.

Thousands of citizens have been “doing democracy” for months to protest the overriding of our Waterloo Regional Official Plan by the provincial government when then Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark ignored the decisions of our local Councils.  Clark unilaterally ordered thousands of hectares of unnecessary and unaffordable urban sprawl - using up every acre of land within our Countryside Line designation.

The province held no public consultation, did not engage First Nations, and provided no data, rationale, or justification on how it arrived at its decision to go against local planning decisions and open up thousands of acres of farmland for development.

Legal experts such as Ecojustice questioned the province’s approach to forced boundary expansions in 10 communities across Ontario and how the government made key decisions about the expansions.

This was confirmed by MMAH Minister Paul Calandra when he stated on Monday during his press conference that the forced boundary expansions left him “not satisfied it met the test of accountability”.  The RCMP is starting its investigation into the Greenbelt scandal that many observers have commented has many similarities in both process and people involved with the forced urban boundary expansions.

Citizens and local grassroots community groups have expressed concerns not only with the former Minister overriding our visionary and sustainable Regional Official Plan but the entire approach of the provincial government with the undemocratic Bill 23, removing protected lands from Greenbelt, opening prime farmland to destructive severances, dramatic changes to Conservation Authorities including identifying protected lands to be sold for development, and these forced boundary expansions along with energy, healthcare, and education decisions that don’t seem to be in the best public interest.

Alex Szaflarska from Hold The Line Waterloo Region states “We needed better solutions to our affordable housing and environmental crises than overriding our local sustainable planning to enable the construction of inefficient and expensive houses on irreplaceable farmland, the Greenbelt, and other natural spaces. This urban sprawl housing is not affordable for most people nor is it accessible by public transit. It contradicts our strongly supported Regional Official Plan to promote complete, walkable, transit supported neighbourhoods within existing urban boundaries.”

“Doug Ford is making life harder for renters. Our Regional Official Plan helps to preserve affordability by encouraging affordable units in new buildings, encouraging the missing middle and more affordable apartments, basement units, accessory units and even new construction within our urban boundaries where people want to live close to transit and existing services.” stated Maribel Jagorin from ACORN Tenants Union.

“Doug Ford has been intent on pushing sprawl which undermines all our efforts to achieve the sustainable, efficient, affordable communities we need for a long-term healthy environment.” states Dorothy Wilson, from the Nith Valley Ecoboosters, “Provincial government actions such as Bill 23, Bill 39, dismantling regional planning, removing land from the Greenbelt, and forcing urban boundary expansions threaten the quality of life for current and future residents of Ontario.”

“Municipalities already have enough land allocated to build over 2 million homes and we can’t afford to lose any more farms. Focussing only on land supply without considering housing affordability or transit- oriented developments will not fix the housing crisis.” says Kevin Thomason of the Grand River Environmental Network, “Citizens throughout our communities are celebrating this significant provincial reversal and Doug Ford’s misguided provincial government finally listening to our concerns.”

As Housing Minister Paul Calandra is providing municipalities with a 45 day consultation period on the reversal, citizens are encouraged to contact their local municipal and regional elected officials to ensure the Regional Official Plan remains unchanged as approved by our Councils in August, 2022.

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The Grand River Environmental Network ( www.gren.ca ) is a grassroots community group that is a proactive voice for the environment in the Grand River Watershed.

Hold The Line Waterloo Region ( www.holdthelinewr.org ) is an organization focussed on the visionary Countryside Line and sustainable development in Waterloo Region.

The Nith Valley Ecoboosters ( www.nvecoboosters.com ) is a not-for-profit, non-partisan volunteer group committed to achieving and supporting a long-term healthy environment in Wilmot and Wellesley Townships through education, action and collaboration.

Media Inquiries:

Kevin Thomason, Grand River Environmental Network kevinthomason@mac.com , 519-888-0519

Dorothy Wilson, Nith Valley Ecoboosters nvecoboosters@gmail.com

Alex Szarflarska, Hold The Line Waterloo Region alex.szaflarska@gmail.com , 416-903-6708