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
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
China's latest EV is a 'connected' car from smart phone and electronics maker Xiaomi
Xiaomi, a well-known maker of smart consumer electronics in China, is joining the country's booming but crowded market for electric cars.