'IT'S SUCH A BAD IDEA': CITIZENS SPEAK UP AGAINST BILL 23

Wilmot Township residents are concerned about Bill 23 being passed into law.

The Ontario government says Bill 23, The More Homes Built Faster Act, is part of a long-term strategy to increase housing supply and housing options for Ontarians.

Stephanie Goertz, founding member of Against Bill 23, a group that aims to educate the public and mobilize action against the bill, said this will impact almost every person's life in some way.

"There is nothing set in place to state that the houses that they're building will have to be affordable," Goertz said.

Kevin Thomason, vice-chair of the Grand River Environmental Network, said instead of the government tampering with wetlands and causing urban sprawl, they need to focus on intensification.

"It's such a bad idea because it's doing everything wrong," said Thomason. "It's gutting our conservation authorities at a

time (when) we have greater flood risks (than) ever. It's opening up the greenbelt at a time (when) we need more protected areas than ever."

Phil Pothen, manager of the Ontario Environment Program, agrees.

"You'll have little patches of sprawl opening up here and there that are extremely hard to service with public transit, extremely hard to service with social services or even sewage, and they'll just spring up in isolation and then the region will be left with the burden of often servicing them, and it won't be possible," he said at a 50 by 30 Waterloo Region event on Nov. 4.

The government is proposing changes to freeze, reduce and exempt fees from new home construction with this bill.

This means new construction will be exempted from municipal development charges, parkland dedication levies and community benefits charges.

But Goertz thinks this will only lead to an increase in taxes. "We have to pay for our road repairs. We have to pay for our infrastructure that is deteriorating. Where is the money going to come from?" she asked.

Thomason is taking action against Bill 23.

He was one of the organizers of the Nov. 16 rally at MPP Mike Harris' office to protest Bill 23, stating it is moving the province in the wrong direction on climate change.

The Waterloo Region Official Plan states that the region's population is expected to reach 923,000 people and 470,000 jobs by 2051 and it includes plans for 121,000 housing units and the development of 15-minute neighbourhoods in all cities and townships, while protecting the region's natural and agricultural resources.

Thomason is concerned about the changes to this plan. "This is our bold 30year plan for the future with complete communities, improved transit, all the climate change actions we need to be taking. It's being completely destroyed by the government."

"We need to make it more compact, efficient, active communities, not creating more car-dependent, distant, just sprawl communities. It's the exact opposite of everything we need to be doing," he said.

Bill 23 passed its first reading and the second reading has been referred to the Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy.

Pothen said the bill, if passed, changes the responsibilities of the conservation authorities "from a conservation of land to a much more narrow and short-term focus on immediate flooding and erosion, which is designed to remove any consideration of pollution or long-term factors that might eventually affect flooding and erosion."

Goertz is calling on Ontarians to take action against Bill 23.

Whether it's rallying, signing petitions or sending letters to their MPPs, Goertz is asking people to not just watch and do nothing.

To learn more, visit https://www.50by30wr.ca/ stop-bill23 and https:// www.againstbill23.com.

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: With Bill 23 passing its first reading, New Hamburg Independent wanted to find out how local residents are feeling about the More Homes Built Faster Act.