People shocked and disappointed as province overrides Mississauga nearly doubling density for Lakeview Village – May 15, 2023, Insauga.ca
I’ve not been following land use issues in Mississauga and Toronto very closely since moving to Stratford in 2018.
I’ve recently made it a point, however, to learn more about the decision by the Ontario government to nearly double density for Lakeview Village in Mississauga.
Click here for previous posts about Lakeview >
At this post I refer to a May 15, 2023 Insauga.ca article entitled: “People shocked and disappointed as province overrides Mississauga nearly doubling density for Lakeview Village.”
An excerpt reads:
Lakeview Village’s plan, approved in 2021 after years of community consultation, was to build 8,040 condo units over the next 15 to 20 years.
But the Province of Ontario announced Friday (May 12) they have approved the MZO. An MZO allows the Province of Ontario to override municipal zoning decisions.
It’s an understatement to say this is bad news. It means that input from citizens – public meetings and consultations for over a decade – means nothing. In Ontario, municipalities are creatures of the province. This arrangement was established by legislation ages ago. What it comes down to is that councillors and citizens at the municipal level can go through the motions of letting their views be heard but in the end their views can readily be ignored. This is what passes for democracy in Ontario. Democracy in Ontario is a sham and a scam – in reality, it barely registers anywhere.
An Oct. 8, 2023 CBC article is entitled: “‘Act 2 of the Greenbelt corruption crisis’ as Ontario municipalities forced to change growth plans: NDP.”
An excerpt reads:
Belleville Coun. Paul Carr told CBC News the city was “taken by surprise” when the urban boundary was changed because no one from the province had consulted with city staff or officials.
“Even the city’s comprehensive review … determined that there was adequate land supply within the current urban boundary for the next 20 years. So the official plan that was submitted for approval was in compliance with the provincial policy statement,” Carr said in a statement.
Carr said his fellow council colleagues weren’t aware similar changes were being made to the official plans of other municipalities.
A May 13, 2021 post is entitled:
Lakeview development initiated by Jim Tovey and John Danahy ‘closer to reality’ – but ‘concerns about an increase in density from the original vision’
In my view this is extraordinary.
An October 30, 2023 CBC article is entitled: “Developer guests at Doug Ford family wedding got fast-track zoning approvals from government: Housing minister reviewing more than 100 MZOs, but says ‘vast majority’ not of concern.”
An excerpt reads:
There’s fresh scrutiny of how Premier Doug Ford’s government issued dozens of fast-track approvals to rezone select properties, some of them owned by developers who also stood to benefit from Greenbelt land swaps.
Minister’s zoning orders (MZOs) are a powerful tool the province can use to expedite development on a specific parcel of land. At the stroke of a pen, a cabinet minister overrides local planning rules, avoids public consultation and changes what can be built on the property.
The Ford government has handed out MZOs at an unprecedented pace: at least 110 of them since 2019. By contrast, previous Liberal governments issued just 18 between 2003 and 2018.
A tally by the Ontario NDP finds that just four guests at a Ford family wedding reception benefited from as many MZOs as previous Liberal governments issued in total over the course of their 15 years in power.