Province bypasses Region of Waterloo planning to open more land for development
The province is making space for development within Waterloo Region in an effort to ease the housing crisis but to do so, it is overriding the Official Plan agreed to by regional councillors.
On Tuesday, the province sent a letter to the Region indicating hundreds of hectares of land not currently set for development until 2051, are now open to developers.
It was a surprise decision that has the Region working to determine the full impacts.
“I would tell you that’s why we’re still delving into exactly what the plan entails,” said Karen Redman, regional chair.
Even in overriding the Official Plan, Redman said the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Steve Clark, affirmed the Region’s planning principles as it works to build 15-minute communities.
Though, Redman said it’s a balancing act to address the housing affordability crisis.
“It’s not just infill. It’s not just building up,” said Redman. “We recognize that there will still be people who will be looking for the kind of Greenfield, suburban development that currently exists in the region.”
Berry Vrbanovic, the mayor of Kitchener, also stressed that key boundary lines drawn by the Region are in tact.
“I think the main parts of the Regional Official Plan have been adopted and that includes things like protecting the Countryside Line, things like protecting things like the major transit areas in the city of Kitchener,” he said
Brian Doucet, with the School of Planning at the University of Waterloo, believes the move is unnecessary to meet the demand of a growing community.
Waterloo Region is projected to grow to nearly one million people in the next three decades.
“We can build denser,” said Doucet. “We can build on sites that are underdeveloped, parking lots for example. We need to maximize that because in the long run, that’s far cheaper. That’s cheaper for municipalities to service and that also means people’s property taxes don’t have to rise as much.”
Premier Doug Ford was in Kitchener on Thursday for a funding announcement but also addressed the topic of housing.
“People just can’t keep saying no, we don’t want people. It just doesn’t work,” said Ford. “We have to grow. If we said no to everything, one time or another, years back, I’m sure this was farming as well, but we have more land than we know what to do with in Ontario.”
When asked by CTV News if there were any other plans for the province to step in and change the Region’s planning further, Ford said it’s up to the minister of municipal affairs, who will work closely with local mayors.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6976926.1721883767!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
AS IT HAPPENED Wildfire reaches Jasper Wednesday night, causes 'significant loss'
One of two wildfires threatening Jasper National Park reached the townsite Wednesday night and caused 'significant loss.'
Alberta calls in army to assist with wildfire situation
Alberta has called in the Canadian Armed Forces to help assist with the worsening wildfire situation in the province.
Biden explains why he ended re-election bid in Oval Office address
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday delivered a solemn call to voters to defend the country's democracy as he laid out in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for reelection and throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Barrie-Innisfil MPP 'blacked-out' and crashed car into window of child care centre
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
Norad intercepts Russian and Chinese bombers operating together near Alaska in apparent first
The North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska Wednesday in what appears to be the first time the two countries have been intercepted while operating together.
2 Canadians being 'sent home immediately,' removed from Olympic team after drone incident
An analyst and an assistant coach with Canada Soccer are being removed from the Canadian Olympic Team and 'sent home immediately,' according to the Canadian Olympic Committee.
An unwelcome attendee has joined the Paris Olympic Games: COVID-19
After a handful of Australian water polo players tested positive for COVID-19 this week, questions have emerged around how the spread of the disease will be mitigated at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
Vacations, meals, booze: Contractor used $100K of charity's money for personal expenses, B.C. court finds
A B.C. man who was hired to help a non-profit build a food hub but instead spent the money on personal expenses – including travel, restaurants, booze and cannabis – has been ordered to pay more than $120,000 in damages.
Male, female killed, 2 others injured in 'gun battle' outside Toronto plaza: police
Two people are dead and two others suffered serious injuries following a shooting that police have described as a 'gun battle' outside a plaza in Scarborough, Ont. early Wednesday morning.