How Hamilton's 'No Sprawl' rebellion spread across the GTHA

Across southern Ontario, a mutiny against sprawl is underway.

The first act of rebellion against the province's 30-year vision for southern Ontario took place in Hamilton last fall.

Thousands of residents protested, wrote letters to council, put up lawn signs to save farmland" and made deputations at council - ultimately convincing councillors to reject a growth plan that would see thousands of hectares of farmland paved over for more single-family housing, opting for more density instead.

Then in March, the Stop Sprawl" movement made it to Halton Region, where after extensive debate and more than a thousand letters from constituents, councillors voted against opening up 5,000 acres for new housing, adding that they would look to accommodate future population growth within city boundaries.

Now, the movement of citizens and environmental groups has spread eastward, inspired by the success thus far, with copycat groups across the GTHA including: Stop Sprawl: Peel, York, Durham, Simcoe and Orillia.

Their goal: to fight what they view as Doug Ford's vision of the province for the next generation - one that would see farmland swallowed up by subdivisions. And to convince their local governments to support their fight.

Everybody wants the same thing: they want to save farmland, they do not want sprawl - and they are worried about more highways," said Halton Hills councillor Jane Fogal, who has long championed smart growth in her community.

They are also all communities in Greater Golden Horseshoe that need to prepare for significant population growth over the next 30 years, according to the province.

By July, they need to have a plan for how they want their communities to grow to 2051 - and beyond. For example, York is supposed to see population growth of 800,000, Peel would see 700,000 more residents and Toronto 617,000, according to the province's estimates.

Instead of telling municipalities to grow however they see fit, using infill or zoning to accommodate population growth, the province is encouraging communities to sprawl, critics say.

Rather than opening it up gradually when they need it, they are being required to open it up all at once this July," said Phil Pothen with eco-group Environmental Defence. We already have so much land open for development that we wouldn't come close to needing more land for the next 30 years."

Municipalities are required by law to review their growth plans every five years. But this time they have been told to plan at least a decade beyond normal planning projections.

The province says the long planning trajectory is its way of addressing the housing crisis, ensuring enough supply down the road. But critics say that designating thousands of hectares of farmland for housing is irreversible, and cannot be revoked even if cities change their mind decades from now.

It's virtually impossible to remove land once it's been approved for urban uses," said Victor Doyle, a retired bureaucrat who spent decades in Ontario's housing ministry. This is an orchestrated land grab (by the province) where they want municipalities to go so far down the road that even if they aren't re-elected, it would be too far gone to turn back,"

Critics say that one way the province is pushing sprawl is through a new Land Needs Assessment Methodology," which requires sufficient land to accommodate demand for all types of ground-related housing. Municipalities can't house a growing population only through apartments, condos and multi-family dwellings, such as duplexes, but must also ensure there is an ample supply of single-family homes.

The province warned Hamilton last fall that its no urban boundary expansion" plan did not conform to provincial requirements.

Zoe Knowles, spokesperson for Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark, said the situation in Hamilton is a symptom of a broader problem that we are seeing across the province where local politicians are politicizing the planning process with an anti-housing and anti-growth ideology that prevents Ontarians from achieving the dream of home ownership."

She said that both intensification and expanding urban boundaries must be part of the solution. The housing shortage is so severe that further restricting which types of homes can be built is only adding fuel to the housing crisis."

But it's unclear what would happen if more municipalities revolt - if the province would risk overruling local decisions, alienating suburban voters.

They have the authority and ability to say we aren't going to follow your decision, and we are ... going to expand your boundary," said Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger.

The province has a different mindset in terms of development for the province, but it doesn't mean that all communities have to be in lockstep," said Eisenberger. We didn't support a no-growth option, we supported a where do you want grow?' option. What people are asking for is a denser, more intensified, more contained community that is much more sustainable."

But not all are opposed to the province's push for sprawl. Prior to the vote at Halton Regional council in March, Milton Mayor Gord Krantz sent a letter to Clark expressing his concern with a no-boundary expansion saying it would create risks" for Milton.

He wrote that Burlington and Oakville - municipalities that supported a no boundary expansion" motion - are now completely built out and cannot expand any more and Milton is seeking the same opportunity and consideration to grow in the right places, with the right uses."

Madeleine Fournier said she was motivated to set up Stop Sprawl Orillia as a way to mobilize local interest on the issue.

Hamilton basically gave us a successful model to replicate," she said. And especially since it's an election year, provincial and municipal, it will be interesting to see if the movement has an impact there as well."

Fogal said in her 25 years as a politician she has never seen the public this riled up.

I would compare this to the organizing around the Greenbelt. But at that time, there were no lawn signs, no filling councillor inboxes with emails, no fundraising," she said. But this is what it takes to get the attention of decision makers."

Noor Javed is a Toronto-based reporter for the Star covering city news with interest in 905 municipal politics. Follow her on Twitter: @njaved