LRA Press Release, October 23, 2023
The Toronto Star reports that Premier Doug Ford is scrapping planned changes to municipal boundaries in another major policy flip-flop related to the $8.28-billion Greenbelt land swap scandal now under criminal investigation by the RCMP. Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra announced Monday at Queen’s Park that the embattled Progressive Conservatives were moving to “reset” relations with cities and towns.
“When reviewing how decisions were made regarding official plans, it is clear that they failed to meet this test,” said Calandra. “In response, as soon as I am able, I will be introducing legislation that would reverse the official plan decisions for Barrie, Belleville, Guelph, Hamilton, Ottawa, the city of Peterborough as well as the regional municipalities of Halton, Niagara, Peel, Waterloo, York, and Wellington County. The legislation would wind back provincial changes to official plans and official plan amendments, except in circumstances where construction has started or where doing so would contravene existing provincial legislation.”
BUT WHY IS THE CITY OF TORONTO NOT INCLUDED IN THE LEGISLATION THAT WOULD REVERSE OFFICIAL PLAN DECISIONS FOR 6 CITIES AND 6 REGIONAL MUNICIPALITIES?
The issues that have lead to the reversal by the Provincial government are surely not limited to the 12 municipalities. Since the release of the Provincial Auditor’s report on the Greenbelt transactions it has become apparent that the Greenbelt is not unique regarding political involvement in the land use processes, and that there may be several other instances of improper dealings concerning Provincial land use decision-making involving Ministerial Zoning Orders and Official Plan Amendment (OPA) decisions. And in Toronto, that means there are concern about OPA 405 (Yonge Eglinton) and OPA 406 (Downtown)
We in Leaside have had concerns regarding Yonge Eglinton OPA 405 (Midtown Secondary Plan) since 2019 when the Province overruled the City Council adopted Yonge Eglinton Secondary Plan with 194 changes! See attachment (below) for details. It is anticipated that the implications of improper land use dealings in Toronto pale in comparison with the Greenbelt and rural municipalities.
Following the Provincial Auditor’s Greenbelt report in August the Leaside Residents Association submitted a letter to theProvincial Auditor requesting their investigation of OPA 405 (August 21 2023).
CALL TO ACTION:
THE PROVINCE SHOULD BE REQUESTED TO EXTEND THE LEGISLATION THAT WOULD REVERSE OFFICAL PLAN DECISIONS TO INCLUDE THE CITY OF TORONTO.
Geoff Kettel, Co-President, Leaside Residents Association
Attachment: The Yonge Eglinton Secondary Plan OPA 405
Midtown in Focus was an inter-divisional study to ensure that growth positively contributes to the vitality and livability of one of Toronto’s most dynamic neighbourhoods. The study, following extensive public consultation, resulted in a renewed plan for Midtown with an updated Yonge-Eglinton Secondary Plan and infrastructure strategies to ensure that infrastructure capacity not only keeps pace with development but also supports quality of life in Midtown. OPA 405 was approved by City Council and submitted to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing on August 9, 2018 for review and approval pursuant to Section 26 of the Planning Act.
The Yonge Eglinton Secondary Plan approved by City Council permitted mid-rise development on the arterials. The Yonge Eglinton OPA was approved in June 2019, but with major changes by the Province, without further consultation, to allow high-rise development on the arterials. In approving the Midtown Secondary Plan, the Province made 194 modifications, including one which deleted a 6-storey maximum height restriction on Bayview and Eglinton Avenues away from the intersection, and allowed proposals between 20 and 35 storeys to be considered within the Bayview Focus Area. In announcing the Provincial approval for Yonge Eglinton OPA 405, Minister Steve Clark made specific mention of Bayview Avenue – he spoke of the need for tall buildings and much higher densities on Bayview Avenue. We thought it was “interesting but concerning” at the time.
In the fall of 2021, following Provincial approval of OPA 405, an application was submitted to the City for a 25-storey tower at the southeast corner of Bayview and Broadway, at the northern limit of the Bayview Focus Area. The Plan approved by the City had allowed for a mid-rise building, maximum 8 storeys, on that site! Since that time there have been several other applications nearby including one application for a 45-storey tower. An article by Tim Gray in the Globe and Mail in April 2023 raised questions about the Yonge-Eglinton OPA and the decision-making concerning the approved document, which have heightened the concerns based on our observation of the events.
