Smart Growth Waterloo Region

2014 Ontario Election Questionnaire

We recently sent our Backgrounder and 2014 Ontario Election Questionnaire to all the candidates for MPP in the four ridings in Waterloo Region. The responses we have received are displayed by riding below. (Click the riding name to show responses.)

If we receive any additional responses from the candidates, we will endeavour to add them as soon as possible. If you are a Waterloo Region candidate and your response does not appear below, please contact us at election.survey@smartgrowthwaterloo.ca to be included.

Cambridge

Candidate	Party	What is your position on the Ontario Municipal Board's 2013 ruling against the Region of Waterloo's Official plan?	If elected, what would you do to protect Waterloo Region's Official Plan and smart growth goals, and to ensure that the Region can be successful in its pursuit of sustainable growth?	What is your position on intensification to promote more vibrant, livable cities while protecting farmland and environmentally sensitive areas from urban sprawl in Ontario?
Temara Brown	Green	No response.	No response.	No response.
Allan R. Dettweiler	Libertarian	No contact information available.	No contact information available.	No contact information available.
Rob Leone	Progressive Conservative	No response.	No response.	No response.
Kathryn McGarry	Liberal	No response.	No response.	No response.
Bobbi Stewart	NDP	No response.	No response.	No response.

Kitchener-Centre

Candidate	Party	What is your position on the Ontario Municipal Board's 2013 ruling against the Region of Waterloo's Official plan?	If elected, what would you do to protect Waterloo Region's Official Plan and smart growth goals, and to ensure that the Region can be successful in its pursuit of sustainable growth?	What is your position on intensification to promote more vibrant, livable cities while protecting farmland and environmentally sensitive areas from urban sprawl in Ontario?
Margaret Johnston	NDP	When the Ontario Municipal Board ignored Waterloo Region's Official Plan, it also ignored a decade of consultation driving the plan; it ignored the region's need for transit-friendly, business friendly, sustainable growth; and it ignored the expectation of all Ontarians for government bodies to be accountable, with decisions that privileged a few developers over the needs of a growing region. Instead of sensible transit options and a dependable plan for growth, Waterloo Region faces uncertainty and the high cost of urban sprawl. It is clearly time for a more sensible, accountable OMB. A NDP government would allow local councils to set up their own appeal bodies - the check and balance the OMB was supposed to be, but with the transparency and accountability that the Liberal government has actively prevented.	An Ontario NDP government would allow local councils the authority to set up their own appeal bodies - the checks and balances the OMB was supposed to be. There is no other jurisdiction that grants an unelected body such power to rewrite the rules. This is what makes the Ontario Municipal Board so unusual, and that is why planning experts like the University of Waterloo's Jeff Casello are so alarmed by the board's ruling in Waterloo Region.	The Ontario NDP supports intensification and believes municipalities must have more control over their own growth plans.
Ronnie Smith	Green	No response.	No response.	No response.
Daiene Vernile	Liberal	As the OMB's decision is being appealed by the Region of Waterloo, and is therefore before the courts, I am unable to comment on the specifics of the case. However, I would like you to know that I am supportive of the Liberal government's intention to act as a party to the Divisional Court appeal. I know the Region of Waterloo developed their growth plan according to the Places to Grow Act, which means it follows the government's vision for sustainable growth in our community.	As I noted above, the Liberal Government has committed to acting as a party to the Divisional Court appeal and if I am elected, I would act as a strong voice for this community to ensure the Province is alongside the Region of Waterloo during the appeal.	I believe in the vision set out in the Places to Grow Act, 2005, which created a vision to guide growth over the next 25 years. The plan envisions sustainable development in order to attract new investment and strengthen local economies. The Liberals are committed to developing sustainable, intensified and integrated urban communities.
Wayne Wettlaufer	Progressive Conservative	No response.	No response.	No response.

Kitchener-Conestoga

Candidate	Party	What is your position on the Ontario Municipal Board's 2013 ruling against the Region of Waterloo's Official plan?	If elected, what would you do to protect Waterloo Region's Official Plan and smart growth goals, and to ensure that the Region can be successful in its pursuit of sustainable growth?	What is your position on intensification to promote more vibrant, livable cities while protecting farmland and environmentally sensitive areas from urban sprawl in Ontario?
Michael Harris	Progressive Conservative	When it comes to smart-growth policies, we need to find the right balance to ensure that we are protecting the environment while keeping home ownership affordable for families looking to purchase a house in Waterloo Region. As for the Ontario Municipal Board, it is important to note that this agency does not make legislation. It is a quasi-judicial body that interprets provincial legislation that is drafted and passed into law by elected representatives at Queen's Park. Sometimes people disagree with the decisions made by the OMB, but that doesn't mean we need to get rid of it.	We need to protect our environment, preserve green space and keep prime farmland producing locally grown food. But we can't shut a generation of Ontario families out of the housing market in the process. Smart growth should bring all of these factors into consideration. It shouldn't forget about young Ontarians looking to provide the same quality of life for their children that they received from their parents growing up.	There needs to be the right balance. Heavily urbanized areas, like Toronto, have encountered problems with wastewater run-off and flooding because of a lack of permeable surfaces. In fact, the Don River is one of the most polluted rivers in the province because the surrounding watershed is 96% covered by concrete, pavement and buildings. We should be building our communities around nature. That means we need neighbourhoods with parks and conservation areas in addition to intensified development in the downtown core.
David Weber	Green	I was upset when I heard the OMB had sided with big business and land developers upon a perceived technicality of a timeline "missing" in the Official Plan. No date needs be specified, as after the plan took effect all projects should be moved forward on a basis of complying with the goals. Development may be even more restricted until the goals of the plan are achieved as quickly as possible and then may be more balanced as the density of land use is maintained. To say that not having a date specified means that no action towards the goals is able to be enforced is ludicrous.	I have recently watched an OMB case between the concerned residents of North Dumfries (CRAND) vs. Preston Sand and Gravel. This case had the OMB favouring the aggregate industry, in my opinion. I believe the OMB should be abolished as it has unelected officials over-ruling decisions made by elected persons who are acting on behalf of the residents they serve. An unelected body subverting democratically elected persons is unacceptable.	Prime farmland is disappearing at 365 acres per day; built on, paved over or turned into aggregate pits. We need aggregates, but not from PRIME farms. And we need places to live. But we can grow up instead of growing out. Fresh water needs to be protected. The Region of Waterloo understands these problems and is trying to address the problems. I appreciate your position on the matter. The Greens support prospering sustainably; that is why I became a supporter and eventually a candidate.
Wayne Wright	Liberal	No response.	No response.	No response.
James Villeneuve	NDP	No response.	No response.	No response.

Kitchener-Waterloo

Candidate	Party	What is your position on the Ontario Municipal Board's 2013 ruling against the Region of Waterloo's Official plan?	If elected, what would you do to protect Waterloo Region's Official Plan and smart growth goals, and to ensure that the Region can be successful in its pursuit of sustainable growth?	What is your position on intensification to promote more vibrant, livable cities while protecting farmland and environmentally sensitive areas from urban sprawl in Ontario?
Jamie Burton	Liberal	Our region is a beautiful combination of urban and rural land, and it is very important to protect it. That is why the Liberal government showed its support for the Region and the implementation of Places to Grow by supporting the Region�s appeal with the Ontario Municipal Board. We are disappointed in the outcome but must respect the arms-length quasi-judicial process.	If re-elected, Liberals will introduce legislation to protect local official plans and this will reduce the number of issues that go to the Ontario Municipal Board. This legislation will enhance protections when municipalities do comprehensive, up-front planning and ensure that there is more citizen input into the land use planning process. We know that communities and citizens deserve support to determine how their neighbourhoods grow, and we intend to ensure that this legislation is comprehensive to ensure that the Ontario Municipal Board is not used to bypass locally-made solutions.	In 2005 our Liberal government passed the Places to Grow Act. The key principals in this important piece of legislation were to: Create complete communities with more options for living, working, shopping and playing Revitalize downtowns to become vibrant centres Reduce traffic gridlock by improving access to a greater range of transportation choices Provide greater housing types to meet people�s needs throughout their lives Curb urban sprawl and protect farmlands and natural areas We also passed the Greenbelt Act, 2005, which protected about 1.8 million acres of environmentally sensitive and agricultural land in the Golden Horseshoe from urban development and sprawl. The Liberal partly remains committed to the principals of smart growth and sprawl prevention and if elected will continue to work to ensure our growth is principled, forward thinking and locally balanced.
Stacey Danckert	Green	I am extremely disappointed with this ruling. Not only did the OMB disregard the Region's forward- thinking plan, it also disregarded the core values within the province's own Places to Grow Act. It is disappointing that this unelected committee can overturn the desires of elected officials, and the residents in a region. More than that, I am disheartened by the lax exemption rights within the Places to Grow Act that restrict the power of our Municipal and Provincial elected officials.	There are several important parts to this equation. Clearly, the OMB needs to be revamped in order to emphasize the needs and desires of a municipality. Second, we need to strengthen the Places to Grow Act in order to limit exemptions that allow for urban sprawl. Third, we need to put in place permanent protection of prime farmland and ground water sources for our future needs (only 5% of Ontario's land is suitable for farming), particularly when it comes to development planning. Further, we need to stop anti-SLAPP law suits to allow our citizens the right to voice their opinions about how their neighbourhoods are developed.	I am very much in favour of intensification of our cities. I believe that mixed use development creates livable and walkable, as well as safe communities. This also allows for increased accessibility of public transit systems. This will help us achieve reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions more easily, with less interruption to daily routines. Dedicated funding for public and active forms of transit should be included in the provincial budget to help us to continue to improve our cities. Protecting our environmentally sensitive areas and farmland is truly essential. With climate change issues leading to increased concerns with respect to food security, protecting our farmland is vital, especially since so little of our land provides good growing conditions. We also need to increase aggregate recycling, as well as rules surrounding aggregate land use and rehabilitation so that responsible land-use is attained.
Catherine Fife	NDP	When the Ontario Municipal Board ignored Waterloo Region's Official Plan, it also ignored a decade of consultation driving the plan; it ignored the region's need for transit-friendly, business friendly, sustainable growth; and it ignored the expectation of all Ontarians for government bodies to be accountable, with decisions that privileged a few developers over the needs of a growing region. Instead of sensible transit options and a dependable plan for growth, Waterloo Region faces uncertainty and the high cost of urban sprawl. It is clearly time for a more sensible, accountable OMB. A NDP government would allow local councils to set up their own appeal bodies - the check and balance the OMB was supposed to be, but with the transparency and accountability that the Liberal government has actively prevented.	An Ontario NDP government would allow local councils the authority to set up their own appeal bodies - the checks and balances the OMB was supposed to be. There is no other jurisdiction that grants an unelected body such power to rewrite the rules. This is what makes the Ontario Municipal Board so unusual, and that is why planning experts like the University of Waterloo's Jeff Casello are so alarmed by the board's ruling in Waterloo Region.	The Ontario NDP supports intensification and believes municipalities must have more control over their own growth plans.
Tracey Weiler	Progressive Conservative	When it comes to smart-growth policies, we need to find the right balance to ensure that we are protecting the environment while keeping home ownership affordable for families looking to purchase a house in Waterloo Region. As for the Ontario Municipal Board, it is important to note that this agency does not make legislation. It is a quasi-judicial body that interprets provincial legislation that is drafted and passed into law by elected representatives at Queen's Park. Sometimes people disagree with the decisions made by the OMB, but that doesn't mean we need to get rid of it.	We need to protect our environment, preserve green space and keep prime farmland producing locally grown food. But we can't shut a generation of Ontario families out of the housing market in the process. Smart growth should bring all of these factors into consideration. It shouldn't forget about young Ontarians looking to provide the same quality of life for their children that they received from their parents growing up.	There needs to be the right balance. Heavily urbanized areas, like Toronto, have encountered problems with wastewater run-off and flooding because of a lack of permeable surfaces. In fact, the Don River is one of the most polluted rivers in the province because the surrounding watershed is 96% covered by concrete, pavement and buildings. We should be building our communities around nature. That means we need neighbourhoods with parks and conservation areas in addition to intensified development in the downtown core.