Hello ONEIG Members,
We hope you are well and finding time to find peace in nature this fall season. ONEIG is busy and here is what we are up to:
COP27 Virtual Viewing Party Tomorrow,
When: Tomorrow Thursday, November 17th at 9:50 am
What: WHO Pavillion Event - "Responding to Climate Disasters - Perspectives from Emergency Medicine"
We will be livestreaming the event and discussing it as a team.
The rest of this email focuses on Bill 23: More Homes, Built Faster Act. Our co-chair Josalyn Radcliffe recently attended an event by 50 by 30 WR with presenters from Ontario Headwaters, CAPE-ON (Dr. Mili Roy- Ontario Climate Emergency Campaign or OCEC), and ACORN (housing focus) who are gravely concerned with this bill. This webinar will be available here, alongside videos of presentations by city councillors, Environmental Defense, former environmental commissioner Dianne Saxe, and the Clean Air Partnership. See more information at the bottom of this email summarized from the Ontario Climate Emergency Campaign.
What ONEIG is doing:
1) Drafting a written submission with RNAO as part of the government's brief consultation period.
-You can write one too: 'Don't let perfect be the enemy of good'- giving your voice to this is a powerful action, don't overthink it and use the resources available like those on www.againstbill23.com
2) Informing our members of these issues and encouraging you to write to media and spread the word about this bill (RNAO and ONEIG can support you with this!)
3) Our co-chair Josalyn Radcliffe independently submitted a request for an oral presentation in Toronto next week (the 16th) but unfortunately was not included in the agenda.
4) Continuing our work informing nurses and the public about climate mitigation and adaptation more broadly. We held a small event last weekend in conjunction with CANE and Beth Emeth Yehuda synagogue about emergency preparedness- critical now and with more unpredictable and severe weather. We hope to have the presentation posted soon! Learn more here.
Thank you all for your support and care as part of ONEIG. We appreciate everything you offer as we work for a healthier future.
Josalyn Radcliffe and Rob Samulack, ONEIG co-chairs
PLEASE TAKE THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS TO OPPOSE BILL 23
1) Sign this Action Letter by Environmental Defence opposing Bill 23 (60 second action): https://act.environmentaldefence.ca/page/116359/action/1?ea.tracking.id=eblast&ea.url.id=6126168&forwarded=true
(See also other letters on www.againstbill23.com and the many other organizations mobilizing action now)
2) Flood your MPP’s offices with calls and emails to oppose Bill 23 and support workers’ rights. Use this rapid tool to find your MPP and contact information: https://www.ola.org/en/members#findtrouver
3) Send a written submission opposing Bill 23 to the Standing Committee by 7PM ET Thurs Nov 17/22 to:
https://www.ola.org/en/apply-committees
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The issues in brief (outdated information removed)
(1) BILL 23 “More Homes Built Faster Act”:
This proposed act offers limited inadequate benefits significantly overshadowed by the alarming multiple long-term harms that will result as summarized below. A detailed analysis is found at: https://environmentaldefence.ca/2022/10/31/ontarios-housing-bill-is-actually-a-trojan-horse-for-environmentally-catastrophic-rural-sprawl/.
Also deeply concerning is the timing planned by the provincial government. Despite the impacts of Bill 23 falling squarely on multiple municipalities, the Bill was released immediately after the recent Municipal Election and is being rushed through readings with inexplicably tight timelines for response (see below). This restricts the ability of newly elected Municipal councils to respond, which have not yet had time to self-organize, meet and begin municipal governance. The timeline will clearly similarly undermine opportunities for public and expert review, scrutiny and oversight.
Bill 23 Summary:
- benefits touted include bylaw changes promoting more non-single family homes and increased density near transit but the measures are weak enough to create only 50,000 of a needed 1.5 million such housing units
- critical and hard won municipal green standards will be gutted disrupting the ability to meet essential emissions targets
- Bill 23 wipes out multiple measures used by municipalities to enable development while protecting social and environmental concerns, including eliminating the requirement for rental unit replacement when old buildings are replaced, destroying inherent protections for tenants against rent increases
- the powers of the Conservation Authorities will be decimated creating massive risks of flooding, rampant sprawl, destruction of precious farmland, wetlands and natural habitats. These are critical to secure our stable livable futures.
- Sale of sensitive and previously protected conservation lands will be handed over to government with NO requirement to consult with the Conservation Authority. This is difficult to comprehend in its scope of reversal of forward thinking sustainable policy previously put in place to protect this increasingly precious land.
- Coordinated regional planning will be destroyed in favour of uncoordinated lower tier planning promoting disorganized expensive sprawl. Urban boundary decisions recently made by democratic municipal process after deliberation, citizen and expert input stand to be overturned with provincial authorities unilaterally imposing opposing mandates.
- Contrary to provincial government claims for Bill 23, the resulting rampant sprawl is not the solution to the current crises of housing shortages, affordability and the combined climate and health crisis. Sprawl produces a smaller number of larger, less affordable, isolated and car-dependent housing units than planned walkable development within existing urban boundaries served by public transit. This will escalate dangerous greenhouse gas emissions, deadly air pollution, multiple human health harms and hugely escalate the costs borne by municipalities and taxpayers.
These issues affect all of us deeply. Our rights and our futures are being sacrificed. This is our chance to exert collective power and change outcomes. Let’s mobilize as many of the 850,000 voices in OCEC as possible to make the difference!
* This link tree shared at the 50by30wr webinar includes additional information and assessments of the bill