By Liz Benneian, founding member of Biodiversity and Climate Action Niagara, a coalition of citizen groups and individuals across the region
Posted May 23rd, 2025 on Niagara At Large
Liz Benneian, Biodiversity and Climate Action Niagara
Not only is the Province introducing the patently undemocratic Bill 5 which will create lawless Special Economic Zones that can be applied to ANY land/area in the Province and will kill the Endangered Species Act, they are also doubling down on their highly controversial Ministerial Zoning Orders which the Auditor General has already produced a scathing report on.
With the so-called “Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act”, Bill 17 (tabled earlier this May), the province is looking to fast-track road, transit and housing construction by giving itself more control over municipal processes — in part by expanding controversial minister’s zoning orders and giving those powers to the infrastructure minister as well as the housing minister.
The Bill also prevents municipalities from requiring higher standards for design/energy efficiency of buildings than is currently prescribed in Ontario’s out-dated building code.
That means Green Development Standards, as adopted by Toronto and other cities, can no longer be applied.
The new rules will also prevent municipalities from ordering further studies in relation to new developments as well as give school boards more powers to bypass municipal approvals.
For developers, development charges will be paid at the end of construction — at occupancy — instead of upfront during the permitting process and they “can’t be punitive.”
With development fees being cut again and with fees only having to be paid after “occupancy”,
I have no idea how municipalities are supposed to pay for the sewers, roads and other infrastructure and services required to accommodate new development without further raising property taxes on existing property owners.
The Ford government is promising some one-time infrastructure funding for municipalities but that is temporary, and no one knows if it is enough, while continuous growth, especially in greenfield areas, where no infrastructure exists, and where current water treatment plants and other services need to be expanded for new residents, is an ongoing issue for decades to come.
We have already seen our property taxes rise to unacceptable levels after the last Ford-caused development fee cut in 2022. This will only make things worse for existing homeowners. Toronto estimated the last DC cuts cost them $2 billion in revenue.
As well, the out-of-date Building Code Standards used to be considered the minimum that needed to be met, while progressive cities were slowly introducing higher standards that would help them achieve their climate goals. Now that’s gone, and with no ability to require more energy efficient homes and buildings, cities have no idea how to achieve emissions reductions.
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Liz Benneian, Biodiversity and Climate Action Niagara
P.S. – There is still time for you to send a letter saying you oppose Bill 5, and a letter of opposition to Bill 17 to Premier Doug Ford (premier@ontario.ca), to West Lincoln Conservative MPP Sam Oosterhoff sam.oosterhoffco@pc.ola.org if you are in the West Lincoln riding.
- If your riding is St. Catharines, email NDP MPP Jennie Stevens jstevens-co@ndp.on.ca
- If you are in the Niagara Falls riding, email NDP MPP Wayne Gates wgates-co@ndp.on.ca
- If you are in the Niagara Centre riding, email NDP MPP Jeff Burch jburch-co@ndp.on.ca.
Make sure that on each letter you Copy NDP leader Marit Stiles mstiles-co@ndp.on.ca Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie bonnie@ontarioliberal.ca , Liberal House leader John Fraser jfraser.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org Green Party leader Mike Schreiner mschreiner-co@ola.org
For more on Biodiversity and Climate Action Niagara, click on – https://www.facebook.com/p/Biodiversity-and-Climate-Action-Committee-Niagara-100069417398384/
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