London’s pledge of 47,000 homes includes assertive letter to province but avoids ‘punching them in the face’
Frustration with the province’s new housing legislation boiled over in council chambers.
On Tuesday, several councillors sought to toughen the tone of the mayor’s letter pledging to achieve London’s assigned housing target.
“A letter that says, here’s what we’re going to do, but here’s what we need you to do,” asserted Coun. Skylar Franke.
The provincial government’s More Homes Built Faster Act (Bill 23) set a goal to add 1.5 million residential units in Ontario by 2031– including 47,000 in London.
City council has until March 1 to send a letter pledging to achieve the housing target, including anticipated strategies and challenges.
Several councillors urged that the letter emphasize their numerous concerns with the new provincial housing legislation.
The legislation aims to streamline the approval of new residential development, but strips municipalities of several powers and reduces the amount of development fees collected on new construction.
It also weakens some environmental, parkland, and heritage policies.
Coun. Franke suggested the letter include reciprocal expectations.
“If we’re going to achieve these targets, you (the province) are going to need to help us with affordable units, you need to help us with funding, you need to help us with other affordability issues like rent control,” she said.
However, Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis urged diplomacy when writing to Ontario’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing about the housing target, “We do require them to be a partner, and punching them in the face in a letter is not going to help us get the funding for some of our needs. I would encourage aggressive diplomacy.”
“There’s an opportunity for diplomacy, but it’s really important to highlight those issues that are challenging for the city,” responded Coun. Corrine Rahman. “Make it known (to the province) that those challenges (cause) consequences which we are going to bear, our taxpayers are going to have to bear.”
Coun. Sam Trosow suggested a focused approach.
“Somewhere between not saying anything, and punching them in the face, is a very clear recitation of what some of our very clear and compelling concerns are,” he said.
There is already approval from city hall to construct 18,513 residential units that still haven’t broken ground, about 40 per cent of the target.
The pledge will include plans to develop a Housing Supply Action Plan focussed on:
- financial supports
- enterprise-wide resources
- shared accountability
“The pledge is not meant to be the be-all-end-all endpoint with the province,” assured Mayor Josh Morgan.
Morgan added that the housing pledge letter he’ll send to the province by the March 1 deadline will include municipal concerns about Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act.
“I think they are looking for us to identify roadblocks and challenges to the process, including those that may have been caused by legislation by the province.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.