For Immediate Release

RESIDENTS APPLAUD PROVINCIAL INVOLVEMENT IN APPEAL OF OMB RULING

Waterloo Region, Ontario – Local residents are commending the provincial government for its decision to stand with the Region of Waterloo in court to defend the Region’s Official Plan against a disastrous Ontario Municipal Board ruling.

“We are very pleased that the provincial government has taken this rare and significant step to defend our region and our province against urban sprawl,” said Mike Boos, Kitchener resident and co-founder of Smart Growth Waterloo Region. “The Province of Ontario is sending a strong message that our community’s plan for balancing development in new and old areas can’t just be pushed aside by developers trying to protect their profits.”

“This is an important step, but this fight is far from over,” added Kate Daley, Waterloo resident and site co-founder. “If the Divisional Court doesn’t overturn this ruling, the Province will need to step in with all the policy tools at its disposal to protect the Region’s Official Plan and make sure the precedent set by the ruling doesn’t continue to threaten smart growth across the province.”

The Ontario Municipal Board ruling (PL110080) in favour of developers and against the Region of Waterloo’s Official Plan requires the Region to open up eleven times more land to urban sprawl between now and 2031, and creates a precedent that threatens the province’s Places to Grow Growth Plan and democratic local decision-making across Ontario.

Smart Growth Waterloo Region, hosted at www.smartgrowthwaterloo.ca, is a website launched by local residents on April 5, 2013 to raise awareness of the Ontario Municipal Board decision, and to encourage citizens to speak out and take action against the ruling.

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Media Contact:

Kevin Thomason
Phone: 519-888-0519
Mobile Phone: 519-240-1648
E-mail: media@smartgrowthwaterloo.ca

For Immediate Release

RESIDENTS FIGHTING DANGEROUS OMB PRECEDENT LAUNCH WEBSITE

Waterloo Region, Ontario – Local residents fighting the dangerous precedent set by the Ontario Municipal Board in January have launched a website. Hosted at www.smartgrowthwaterloo.ca, the site brings together information on the ruling and the ongoing appeal, and links to the many groups and community members speaking out against the ruling.

The Ontario Municipal Board ruling (PL110080) in favour of developers and against the Region of Waterloo’s Official Plan requires the Region to provide 1035 hectares of greenfield and agricultural land for development by 2031, forcing urban sprawl that the Region has been working for a decade to curtail. This is a 1139% increase of the 85 hectares the Region knows is the right amount to accommodate new residents, allow urban intensification, and protect high-quality farmland.

Even more disturbing is the precedent the OMB has set for the rest of the province, gutting the Province of Ontario’s Places to Grow Growth Plan density targets. The ruling also depends on past growth patterns to decide future growth patterns, preventing democratically elected governments across Ontario from responding to and shaping change in how and where we live.

“This ruling is one of the most significant threats facing the Region of Waterloo and communities across Ontario,” said Kevin Thomason, Vice-President of the Grand River Environmental Network (GREN) and co-founder of the site. “The Province of Ontario and ordinary citizens have to join the Region of Waterloo’s fight to protect our communities from this dangerous decision and the precedents it sets.”

The website will serve as a gathering point for concerned citizens and a source of information on this crucial ruling. “We’re hearing a lot of concern from people in our community and across the province,” said Kate Daley, PhD student in political science and site co-founder. “We want to make sure there’s a voice for citizens in this process, not just for developers. We hope this site will help us to learn, connect, and take action.”

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Media Contact:

Kevin Thomason
Phone: 519-888-0519
Mobile Phone: 519-240-1648
E-mail: media@smartgrowthwaterloo.ca