Hundreds join anti-sprawl ‘mega rally’ at Hamilton city hall
Hundreds of placard-waving rallygoers converged on Hamilton city hall Sunday to send an anti-sprawl message to the province, even if the words differed dramatically from sign to sign.
Sometimes it was I stand with wetlands" scrawled on a piece of cardboard duct-taped to a stick. Other protesters carried slickly designed signs decrying Hamilton's forced urban boundary expansion or the so-called Greenbelt grab."
A few wags urged Tory Premier Doug Ford to develop a conscience, not the Greenbelt," while at least one artistic farm fan wore a full-on carrot suit.
The growing list of contentious provincial changes meant to speed homebuilding is almost too long to keep track of, lamented Greensville resident Steve Smillie, who brought wife, Lindy, and four-year-old son, Beckett to join The Big Rally" against urban sprawl.
That's why it's important that everyone steps up," said Smillie, who listed an at-risk Hamilton Greenbelt as just one reason he ventured downtown on the frosty Sunday.
Smillie said he's increasingly worried about environmental stewardship in Ontario, pointing to a pending provincial decision on emissions from a Greensville-area quarry kiln.
We need this government to actually hear its citizens and take seriously the protection our of environment."
Sunday was the biggest of several rallies held since a series of rapid-fire provincial announcements after municipal elections in October, including the recently passed More Homes Built Faster Act, a forced Hamilton urban boundary expansion and a proposal to develop parts of the Greenbelt.
An exact count was tough, but it looked like 600 or more people lined the sidewalks of Main Street and listened to speakers in the city hall forecourt. Groups representing environment advocates, nurses, labour, farmers and tenants all joined the rally, some from Halton and Guelph.
That included Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, who condemned the fast-tracked housing act for hurting wetlands, climate change endeavours and municipal finances.
They have essentially declared war on municipalities and war on the environment," she said.
The Tory government has argued bold" action is needed to beat the housing crisis. Legislative changes are meant to create 1.5 million homes over 10 years and tackle affordability via streamlined approvals and development incentives.
In Hamilton, Municipal Affairs Minister Steve Clark has ordered an urban boundary expansion over the objections of the city.
Local Tory MPP Donna Skelly has argued the provincial changes still allow the city to pursue its goal of greater density while ensuring a variety of housing, including single family homes, for a fast-growing population.
What we are saying to people who question this is: We have a housing crisis. You can't ignore that,'" she said last month.
The latest rally was held on the last day for public commenting on the pitch to take 7,400 acres out of the protected Greenbelt to use for quick-build housing, including roughly 1,800 acres in Hamilton.
Brian Tammi, who farms rented land in Hamilton, said removing Greenbelt protection and adding thousands of acres of rural land into the urban boundary will be disastrous" for young farmers.
We're already losing farmland ... (and) the cost of farmland continues to skyrocket," he told rallygoers.
A recent Spectator property analysis shows much of the land proposed to come out of the Greenbelt in Hamilton is still farmland but large developers own significant parcels nearby, in some cases literally across the road.
Clark has acknowledged the province flip-flopped on past promises to not develop the Greenbelt, but has argued there will be a net gain of protected lands with additions elsewhere. He has said shovels must be in the ground quickly and developers must cover upfront servicing costs.
But those criteria appear difficult to meet, said city planning staff in a recent report to council.
In particular, staff say there are unanswered questions about secondary planning, transportation and sewage and water capacity in the proposed Greenbelt development areas near Ancaster and Mount Hope.
The lands ... are unlikely to be serviced in the near term and do not have characteristics that would enable housing to be built in the near term," reads city comments submitted to the province.
The ministry did not provide specific answers to Spectator questions about Hamilton Greenbelt concerns, but emphasized the proposed carve-outs are expected to help get 50,000 homes built quickly, with construction beginning by 2025.
If this condition is not met, our government will return these properties to the Greenbelt," said an emailed statement.
Matthew Van Dongen is a transportation and environment reporter at The Spectator. mvandongen@thespec.com