By Heidi Riedner- http://yorkregion.com
March 7, 2022
Markham has joined the growing movement among municipalities to turf the Ontario Land Tribunal.
Markham Coun. Karen Rea — who tabled the motion in support of Aurora’s proposal to abolish the provincial adjudicator that addresses appeals to land-use planning decisions last month — said the time has come to turf the outdated, unaccountable, appointed body so control of local planning issues are in the hands of the municipalities where it belongs.
“This is our city, our official plan and it should be our decision to ensure that our vision is what is ultimately built, ensuring that growth is co-ordinated and meets our community’s needs,” she said, adding the tribunal basically exists to overrule local decisions limiting maximum densities of developments in accordance with official plans already hammered out through public and stakeholder input.
“It allows landowners to push the envelope further than what is in the best interest of the community as a whole knowing full well they will probably be approved if they appeal.”
She said the appeals process is not speeding up development or cutting red tape, providing affordable housing or a more diverse mix of homes, or boosting housing supply as the government contends.
Read complete story here: yorkregion.com