April 15, 2024
Hon. Paul Calandra
Minister of Municipal AƯairs and Housing
Queen’s Park, Toronto
Email: Paul.Calandra@pc.ola.org
Dear Minister Calandra,
The Glebe Community Association (GCA) is a volunteer, non-profit, membership-based and city recognised organization advocating for a liveable, sustainable, diverse urban neighbourhood in
Ottawa. We are supportive of measures at all levels of government to provide solutions to the
housing crisis in Ontario.
We understand that last week, the Ontario Government introduced Bill 185, “Cutting Red Tape to
Build more Homes”. This follows a Housing Affordability Task Force Report tabled in February 2022
that included a recommendation to, “Remove right of appeal for projects with at least 30%
affordable housing in which units are guaranteed affordable for 40 years. While we believe
strongly in the democratic process that includes appeal rights to the Ontario Land Tribunal,
we support the Task Force recommendation in this case, in light of the very pressing need to
accelerate creation of affordable housing units.
However, the proposed legislation is not aligned with the Task Force recommendation. It
goes well beyond that targeted lifting of a right of appeal proposed by the Task
Force. Instead, it includes a provision that would remove all 3rd party appeals, no matter the type
of application. We do not support this proposal and trust that this overreach was unintended.
The right to appeal is a fundamental democratic right. Depriving community associations and other
organizations of the right to challenge municipal zoning decisions risks eroding democratic
processes and could create perceptions that governments are working for private development
interests and not for the public good.
The proposed provision has particular importance to the GCA as we have appealed a rezoning and
Official Plan Amendment (OPA) approval that would enable building of a new privately operated ice
arena/event centre in a city-owned park, in an inner urban area of the city that is already
under-served (according to the City of Ottawa) by green/park space. To be clear, we will not be
appealing the proposed changes to zoning and OPA that would enable two residential towers to be
built, albeit not until at least 2032. In other words, it has no bearing on an application for an
affordable housing project, or indeed any housing project. But it is our belief that the project does
not confirm with the Provincial Policy Statement, nor policies included in Ottawa’s newly-minted
Official Plan. The GCA has invested considerable resources in this appeal to date, with a case
management conference scheduled for April 27, in which it is expected that a hearing date will be
set. But the proposed legislation will result in dismissal of the appeal.
It is for the above reasons that the GCA strongly requests that Bill 185 be amended to align with
provisions with recommendations of the Ford Government’s own Task Force, namely, that
prohibitions on 3rd party appeals to the Ontario Land Tribunal be limited to housing projects that
include at least 30% affordable housing.
Thank you very much in advance for your attention and consideration of this request for
amendment.
Sincerely,
Carolyn Mackenzie
Planning Committee Chair
Glebe Community Association
Ottawa, ON
c.c.
Joel Harden, MPP, Ottawa Centre
Robert Brinker, President, Federation of Citizen’s Associations