Special Rule, the song: Background and lyrics

AWARE News Network

The people of Midhurst (north of Barrie) are opposed to the building of 10,000 new Markham style homes around their village. The Midhurst Secondary Plan contravenes many of the anti-sprawl provisions of the Ontario Places to Grow Act.

But in January 2012, the province capitulated to pressure from developers and local politicians, led by Springwater Mayor Linda Collins and Simcoe County Warden Cal Patterson, and made a so-called “Special Rule.”  It’s legislation applying only to Midhurst that over-rides Places to Grow.

This “Special Rule” allows the developers to proceed with the first half of their application for a new city the size of Orillia to be built on Class 1 and 2 farmland, 2 hours away from jobs in the GTA.; Midhurst resident David Strachan wasn’t happy about this “Special Rule,” so he wrote a song about it. Link to video 

Intro

In 2005, the Province of Ontario introduced its Places to Grow Act. The new law was supposed to stop urban sprawl, reduce traffic and protect our foodland.

But every rule has its exceptions.

Lyrics

There’s Places to Grow in Ontario

So the government tells us all

And Places to Grow is expected to slow

The pace of our urban sprawl

We’ll sound the alarm t’ protect every farm

Our food and our water too

Can’t do no harm t’ keep country charm

So clean and so green and so blue

So clean, so green and so blue

But what of our friends, whose future depends

On paving so much of our land

We need production, they offer construction

It’s time we lent them a hand

Need a rule, Midhurst rule

Need a law, avoidance tool

Yes indeed, all we need

Is a Special Rule

Good things grow oh, in Ontario

So the government tells us all

And good things’ll grow just as long as we slow

The pace of our urban Sprawl

We’ll keep highways clear and keep clean the air

And keep clean our water too

Can’t do no harm to keep country charm

So clean and so green and so blue

So clean, so green and so blue

There’s houses to build and jobs to be filled

And aggregate to be mined. If …

Not for resources we’d still be on horses

Craving more paving’s just fine

Need a rule, Midhurst rule

Need a law, avoidance tool

Yes indeed, all we need

Is a Special Rule

Special Rule, Special Rule

The perfect law avoidance tool

It’s agreed, all the builders need

Is a Special Rule