Places to Grow: Politicians need to get with program

Editorial Simcoe.com Jan 20, 2011
The northern GTA isn’t the place it used to be.
And a generation from now, it will be something entirely different again.
In half a generation, we’ve grown from a collection of small towns, buffered by kilometres of farmland and greenspace, into a cohesive community, particularly in the south end of York Region, with common benefits and challenges.
Yet this has come at the cost of that greenspace, as urban sprawl has continued despite politicians paying lip service to smart growth initiatives.
It’s something that needs to change and the province’s Places to Grow Act lays out how to accommodate our exploding population and job growth. In a nutshell, it wants us to grow up, not out, with higher density development and multi-storey buildings on existing urban land.
For some politicians and landowners, however, this vision is a tough pill to swallow.
Bright signs, such as the ongoing development of Markham Centre in the area of Hwy. 7 and Warden Avenue, are the exception, not the rule.
We’ve seen developers continue to push plans for subdivisions filled with single-family homes on to local municipalities for approval.
In some cases, they’re being proposed for the protected Oak Ridges Moraine, despite provincial legislation prohibiting it.
But while some of our politicians are loathe to go against the wishes of the development community, others get it.
Last fall, environmental group Sustainable Vaughan appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board regarding York Region’s approval of an expansion of Vaughan’s urban boundary on to two parcels of land — one bordered by Teston and Kirby roads between Jane and Keele streets and the other bordered by Teston and Kirby between Pine Valley Drive and Weston Road.
According to the city’s official plan, the expansion is to accommodate 9,630 homes necessary to meet provincial population targets outlined in the Places to Grow Act while also meeting consumer demand for detached single-family homes.
This residents group sees past the simple solution and is leading the charge toward proper planning. It’s a path for groups in other communities to follow.
Places to Grow is a grand plan for the evolution of our communities. But while there have been some encouraging signs, we fear, left in the hands of local politicians to implement, it will be a long time before this image is realized.
It’s vital for municipal representatives to demonstrate political courage and make decisions by looking down the road, rather than appeasing developers appearing before council.
The OMB must follow suit and back these decisions, rather than continuing to side with developers. Again, we’re beginning to see a shift in thinking here, but it has been too long in coming.
Finally, the province must act swiftly and decisively if our municipalities fail to do what’s best for our communities of the future.
The problems associated with urban sprawl are widely documented. It’s time to correct past mistakes.