Susan Sigrist Deputation to Vaughan Council May 17th, 2010

Posted on June 4, 2010 by Sustainable Vaughan

Attention: Clerk’s Department, City of Vaughan

I wish to be notified of the adoption of the Official Plan.

I do not agree with items in the official plan.

I do not support urban expansion into the white belt between Teston Rd. and Kirby Rd.
and Jane St. and Keele St. (Block 27), and similar between Pine Valley and Weston
(Block 41).

1. Specifically related to Block 27

This area has been identified as Priority 1 – Terrestrial Natural Heritage Regeneration site
in the Don Watershed Regeneration Plan. (Don River Watershed Plan – Beyond 40 Steps
– Prepared by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, 2009, 5-33 & Fig. 27)
The terrestrial natural heritage system includes forests, meadows and wetlands, and the
plants and animals that inhabit them. The terrestrial natural heritage system provides
many benefits that are critical to the health of the Don Watershed. It helps maintain
water balance and stream stability, protects aquatic ecosystems, provides wildlife
habitats, moderates climatic conditions, and absorbs air pollution. (5.2.2)
The area noted above is part of the Upper West Don River (longest branch) and its
watershed. This area contains half of the watersheds higher quality terrestrial habitat and
some of the best opportunity to add natural cover. It also contains aquatic habitat
supporting some of the few remaining habitat specialists. (5.2.1 FMZ2, 6.2.1),
Headwaters of the West Don River

Target Community: Indicator Species – near term: blacknose shiner, northern redbelly
dace, Johnny darter – long term: brassy minnow (Fig. 25)

2. I support this land continuing to be used as agricultural for local produce. Vaughan
should be a model for other cities to support and encourage the production and
consumption of locally grown produce – a city that can support itself. This could also be
an area for private and community garden plots, where everyone could have the
opportunity to get back to the earth.

3. I do not support any urban expansion in Vaughan. Existing lands in the current urban
boundary should be intensified to support people numbers expected over the next 20
years. This would support the proposed transit system also. Vaughan needs more
dwellings where young singles, new couples, and retirees, singles and couples can live.
The tradition of Vaughan being a community for families in single family dwellings does
not allow for the “family” to live nearby into the future. Graduating university/college
children, and new couples cannot live in the neighbourhood as there is inadequate
smaller, affordable residences available. The elderly are forced to maintain their “too
large” single family home as there are insufficient townhomes and apartments to suit
their needs. Secondary suites are another means of providing affordable residences for
this group. When these types of accommodations become available, this will free up
numerous single family homes for those moving into Vaughan. With the changing
demographics, this is a perfect alternative to further urban sprawl and expensive
infrastructure expansion.

In summary, by eschewing the mono-cultural sprawl of single-family dwellings
through intensification, multi-use, affordable housing within the present urban
boundaries and (4.) allowing secondary suites in existing residential areas,
Vaughan can meet the needs of a more diverse demographic – young people just
out of University with their first jobs, retirees, and those recently arrived to
Canada.

5. I support the control of drive-throughs in Vaughan’s Official Plan. A by-law
controlling drive-throughs addresses clean air. This will also encourage residents
to get out of their cars, walk in their communities and become more physically
active, supporting a healthier lifestyle.

6. I support the deputation of Sony Rai of Sustainable Vaughan. Two weeks is not
enough time to review the Draft Official Plan. It does not give the public enough
time to discuss whether the urban boundary should be extended. I support a five-
year moratorium on expanding the city’s urban boundary onto the white belt lands.

Sincerely,
Susan Sigrist
27 Matterhorn Road
Maple, ON L6A 2V4

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Sony Rai Deputation to Vaughan Council May 17, 2010

Posted on May 30, 2010 by Sustainable Vaughan

Mayor and council, thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak. Sustainable Vaughan is a grass roots community organization focused on issues of sustainability and the environment. This is not an anti-development organization. This organization is supported by both environmentalists and developers.

The Town of Markham had an open, public debate about the future of its rural lands, allowing politicians, citizens, and the media to discuss that city’s future. The politicians in Vaughan decided to forgo such a democratic process and instead have proposed an urban boundary expansion with no studies, public engagement or debate about such an important issue.

The City has gone on record as saying that this is not the case and they did have a very engaged public process. This is true, up until they proposed an urban boundary expansion.  This is when the doors became shut to the public. There was no public involvement on the decision to open the white belt lands for development.

In addition to the undemocratic process, the city also believes it necessary to push through this decision at break neck speed. Two weeks after the open house of the draft plan, the city is having this public hearing allowing citizens to question and comment on the contents of the plan. This means the average citizen is expected to read and digest a 300+ page document within this short time frame. The faster they push this through, the less people will notice.

Council is scheduled to vote for adoption of the Official Plan on September 7th, a day after Labour Day.  The city has been candid about its wish to approve the plan before the fall recess is called prior to the municipal election. If you’re thinking that the optics look bad, you’re right, desperation breeds recklessness. In not wanting the contents of this plan to become an election issue, Vaughan council has done precisely that, they’ve created an election issue. It looks even more absurd when you consider that Markham won’t be releasing its draft official plan until sometime next year (the democratic route obviously taking longer).

During the past two years of developing the official plan I and many other Vaughan residents participated in city organized public workshops where the consensus among citizens was clear, no more urban sprawl, no more sprawl induced traffic congestion, and no more sprawl induced tax hikes. During one of these workshops, the “Visionary Workshop” the outcome was unanimous; citizens declared that intensification, not sprawl was their preference.

As a result of the Visionary Workshop, the City’s consultants produced a report in 2009, “Where and How to Grow” which showed there is the option to accommodate all new growth directed by York Region within the existing urban boundary. This would require the city to develop denser on areas already targeted for intensification as well as on greenfield sites.

The introduction of the Spadina subway line and Viva rapid transit system will provide the city with the stimulus for such a population and density increase. Instead the City is lowering the intensification numbers for the areas that can accommodate sustainable, transit supportive growth. This is what’s happened between the Where & How to Grow document and the Official Plan. This is how Vaughan is justifying urban sprawl. They are working backwards, creating sprawl first, and then reworking the remaining population numbers across the city.

This city has been given the gift of an enormously expensive, publically funded subway system, providing it with the stimulus for a population increase, yet it still feels entitled to sprawl. The City politicians claim that the market demand for denser housing types will not be strong (there is no Vaughan specific market study released to prove this assumption).  In fact we’ve seen the opposite happen in Vaughan even before the subway is in place. Developers are game for intensity throughout Vaughan.

The City has not proven to the public that the expansion is necessary or that it will not have a negative environmental or economic impact. There have been no environmental or economic studies available to prove this nor has there been a secondary plan. These studies are requirements before urban expansion can be approved under the Places to Grow Act. Council wants to vote to expand first and then produce the justification later.

Vaughan citizens have been denied the opportunity to discuss the two options available, expanding the urban boundary or increased intensification within the existing boundary.

Sustainable Vaughan has proposed a very fair and sensible way for the city to prove to citizens they are both democratic and open debate before the start of this year’s municipal election.

A five year moratorium on development on the White Belt lands is required in order to allow the proper studies and an open public debate on this issue to occur.

This is the best compromise between the region, the city and the citizens of Vaughan. Our organization is only getting started and support for this proposal will only grow between now and September. I urge you to consider this, work with us not against us.

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Deb Schulte Deputation to Vaughan Council May 17, 2010

Posted on May 30, 2010 by Sustainable Vaughan

Mayor, Members of Council and Staff,

I want to thank you for this opportunity to comment on the decision of the City to include the “white belt” lands (sprawl) in the Official Plan and express my disappointment in the public process. In contrast to Councillor Mario Ferri’s comments in the Vaughan Citizen, “It’s unfortunate that the people taking issue with it were not involved”, I am here to correct that misconception and assure you that the people who are taking issue have been involved all along. I have been at all the evening public meetings on this OP process and I have been expressing my concerns to both Pino and Paul ever since last November, when we discovered that the City had decided to expand the urban boundary with no public discussion and a lack of justifying documents.

The “Places to Grow” legislation sets out criteria that must be met before an urban boundary expansion can be made (policy 2.2.8.2). The City has only met three out of the eight criteria. Several important studies are still required to be completed and here we are trying to include the lands before we even know if it is wise or will meet the criteria. The critical studies required are the economic study proving this sprawl is sustainable, and the secondary plans needed to prove it can be done without negative impact to the Greenbelt lands (which provide important habitat and ecological function to local endangered species) and the high value farmlands surrounding this proposed expansion.

Through a careful analysis of the numbers and reports it is clear to me that we are planning for significantly more growth than is being acknowledged and with the addition of “white belt” (countryside) lands we will be far in excess of the required numbers from the Province and subsequently the Region. The population estimates that came out of “Where and How to Grow”, when added up are approx. 440,000 people, we are required to accommodate approx. 419,000 people by 2031. In addition, the numbers in the report are acknowledged by the authors to be at the low range of the possible intensification possibilities. Why are we planning for more than we are required to accommodate?

It is too bad that I only have five minutes to cover a subject that should take many hours. So I shall only be able to touch on a few of the inconsistencies of the Hemson report that appear to be driving this need for sprawl.

“Where and How to Grow – June 2008” from Urban Strategies states on pg. 79 that an urban boundary expansion is not necessary. It stressed that a decision needed to be made whether the City does additional expansion within the built boundary, or additional development in the designated greenfields or an urban boundary expansion or a combination of some or all of the above. We had a choice. We (the public) were hoping to be part of that discussion before we got to this point. We were not!

I started to analyze the documents looking at population numbers, however the Hemson report is all based around units so I had to change my assessment to look at the units required to be provided. We need to keep in mind the approx. 65,000 new housing units we are required to provide by 2031 and that this translates to approx. 170,000 new people.

Let’s take a little look at the intensification opportunities:
The Urban Strategies reported in “Where and How to Grow” the intensification Priority Opportunity Areas to yield approx. 54,200 units at the low end of the FSI (intensification) range. It was a conservative estimate and they confirmed that the City of Vaughan has the capacity to meet and exceed the intensification targets set by the Region (30,000 units). The Hemson report identifies the intensification opportunities to be lower at 30,430 units, however the Hemson report has many TBD sections indicating the numbers will follow after the secondary plans have been developed. If you take an educated guess of those TBD’s from the work done by the “Where and How to Grow” report you get over the 9,630 units that are needed in the “white belt” lands. Add the 54,200 intensification units to the existing Greenfield developments already planned which will net approx. 30,000 units and you get a total of 84,200 units. We only need to accommodate approx 65,000 units. So what is clear from both reports is that we do have the capacity to accommodate the growth without an expansion of the boundary, and the secondary plans for intensification are being drawn up to allow for that higher growth to occur.

However, Hemson concludes that because only 20% of the intensification units are ground related it will not satisfy the market demand for ground related units and this is why we need to expand the urban boundary.

Let’s take a closer look at the Greenfield developments:
Both Hemson and Urban Strategies agree that there are approx. 30,000 units still to be built within the existing OPA’s and that 70% of that is for ground related housing. An interesting fact is that currently over 85% of Vaughan’s housing stock is ground related and the whole premise for expanding into the “white belt” is to supply more ground related units.

With over 85% of our housing stock in ground related units maybe it is time we look to get a better mix of housing types in Vaughan, to satisfy the needs of our community; the seniors looking to downsize and reduce maintenance, and young adults looking to start out who can’t afford a house.

Hemson’s position in reports dating back to Feb 2003 (Growth and Urban Land Need in Central Ontario – prepared for The Greater Toronto Homebuilder’s Association) has been a reluctance to restrict the supply of ground related units continuing the need for sprawl out into the countryside. This type of growth has been proven to result in higher taxes, create more traffic congestion, and result in negative environmental effects. The residents spoke out against this type of growth and their input has been ignored.

Because of this philosophy Hemson identifies an additional Greenfield housing demand of 34,560 units. They also identify in their report that not all the current Greenfield supply will be available by 2031, so the supply has been factored down to 24,930. This is how we ended up with the surprise figure of 9,630 units at the last open house and surprisingly this works out to just the 480 ha that is being designated in the expansion area. It is amazing what you can do with numbers.

I am a little puzzled how we will be allowed to expand while we still have capacity in the existing Greenfield lands as I am sure this does not meet the requirements for Places to Grow.

In summary, Urban Strategies “Where and How to Grow ” document has shown us a new way forward, however due to a lack of vision and lack of sensitivity to the wishes of the existing residents we are going to expand the urban boundary and do the intensification, resulting in numbers that are significantly higher than the required forecasts. This is why so many of us, who have been involved since day one, are outraged and are here to speak out today.

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David Schenck Deputation to Vaughan Council May 17, 2010

Posted on May 30, 2010 by Sustainable Vaughan

Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you tonight on this critical issue. I want to focus on the role of York Region, the economic impact associated with the proposed urban boundary expansion, as well as the public process to date.

This Official Plan is the biggest decision that this Council has faced in the last 4 years. Millions have been spent on consultants, and countless meetings have been held over the last 2 or 3 years. So now here we are, a mere 16 weeks left in your mandate, watching you rush an ill-conceived and unjustified plan into law. I will leave it to others to clearly show that the expansion is not needed to meet the population growth forecasted – my issue is with the absence of an economic analysis. When I reviewed the report recommending the expansion, it simply states that the economic impact will be “strongly positive” – so I guess we are to simply trust you on that? In my 28 years in industry, if I submitted a budget that simply said “it will be good”, I would have been fired. We have been told that the detailed analysis will be done after the plan is approved – how can you possibly justify such an approach?

This plan should not be approved until we know how much it will cost us. Residential housing is typically a negative cost to the city – property taxes do not cover all the infrastructure maintenance and continuing services required. York Region is already in debt to the tune of $1B – the highest per capita in the GTA. We can’t just blindly add to this debt load – we are leaving quite a legacy to our children.

Regarding the role of York Region in this process, I came across a fascinating document from January 2008 called the Land Budget Report – in it York Region concludes that “Boundary expansions will occur on Whitebelt lands in … Vaughan”. So if this was the clear direction to this Council, why spend all this time and effort pretending to decide the best strategy – it seems that you were told what to do over 2 years ago!

A Land Budget Report update dated April 2009 reiterates the requirement for a boundary expansion, and goes on to explain why it is required.

“The Region has constructed very significant amounts of water and wastewater infrastructure to service future growth and has debt financed those works that will be recovered from future development charges. It is essential that sufficient land supply be available for development in order to ensure that the Region is able to collect development charges on a timely basis.”

So if we don’t continue the urban sprawl we won’t have the development revenue stream to pay for things like capital programs, infrastructure repair and debt repayment. If this was an investment firm, this would probably be called a Ponzi scheme – pay off your past debts with new investment money. It’s all good as long as you keep growing – if you stop you are bankrupt.

So we are in a box, having already spent the money – we have mortgaged our future, and our children’s future, by simply pushing the debt mountain forward.

But have we? Why must the collection of development charges be tied only to urban sprawl? Can we not levy similar charges to intensification development as well? This revenue would be far more beneficial, since the supporting infrastructure is already in place. Let’s get creative now, because the urban expansion has a limit, so we better figure out how to grow our city and reduce our debt without further expansion. This also applies to York Region – we need new ways to manage and fund growth.

The Republicans in the US used to blindly encourage offshore drilling, with the chant “Drill, baby, drill!”. They aren’t saying that now. Let’s not have the Vaughan chant be “sprawl, baby, sprawl!”. Both look like great ideas for short term gain, but can have terrible consequences in the long term.

It is not up to the citizens of Vaughan to prove to you that the proposed plan is flawed; it is up to you as our elected officials to justify and convince us that our concerns are being addressed. How sad that our democratic process has been twisted around to this. I was told long ago that anyone whose only response is “trust me” shouldn’t be trusted.

I want to close with a response to the flippant comment from Councillor Meffe reported in the Vaughan Citizen last Thursday. At the May 11th Committee of the Whole meeting, you asked “where is everybody” when the Land Use report was being accepted and discussed. I would like to point out that the meeting was conveniently held at 1pm, not terribly accessible for most working taxpayers. Plus, the report was buried in the agenda as Item 26 – it was not easily determined that such a critical report would be covered. So where are we? – when the meeting is in the evening, and the subject is clearly communicated, we are here!

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Eve Roa Deputation to Vaughan Council May 17, 2010

Posted on May 30, 2010 by Sustainable Vaughan

I am here on behalf of the future generation. My children are being taught in school to live an environmentally friendly life. They are taught to do their share by recycling, turning off the light, and use less water, to bicycle more, to walk more.

What are the officials and developers doing to make this an environmentally friendly city? Do they care about the future of the next generation?

There is nothing wrong with economic growth, as long as it is done focusing on the fact that WE ARE NATURE, and NATURE IS US: PEOPLE.

I support development between the current city boundaries only if it is environmentally friendly.

I support ONLY sustainable residential development

I support a pedestrian and bicycle friendly residential development

I support the improvement of public transportation. The Keele Steet and Kirby Road area needs more frequent bus service. It takes me 1 ½ hours to get to York Central Hospital where I work, with a bus. It takes me only 10 minutes with the car. There are absolutely no bus service between 10 AM and 3 PM.

I oppose the Kirby Road and Dufferin Street area’s residential development. I believe we should first increase the density within the existing city boundaries.

I oppose any destruction of green areas, white lands, and forests.

I oppose the development beyond the current city binderies.

I would like you to listen to the following wise Cree Indian saying:

“ Only when the last tree has died,
And the last river been poisoned,
And last fish been caught,
Will we realize
We CANNOT eat money.”

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York Region Urban Boundary Expansion Public Hearing

Posted on May 25, 2010 by Sustainable Vaughan

As some of you are already aware, York Region is pushing ahead with approving the urban boundary expansion onto white belt lands this summer. The region had targeted an urban boundary expansion for Vaughan, East Gwilliambury and Markham as far back as 2008,

Click to access 2031LandBudgetstaffrpt.pdf

Why Markham has been having a debate regarding a foodbelt seems strange considering this information.

York Region will be having a public hearing on the urban boundary expansion June 16th at 1:30pm. We feel this time of day is completely undemocratic as most of us cannot afford the time off work to express our views regarding this proposal.

We request all our members and supporters email York Region to request this time be changed from 1:30 pm to 7:00pm to ensure citizens are able to attend and voice their opinion regarding this issue. Below is an example email which can be used to contact the region.

1. Cut and paste the example email below and send it to;

john.waller@york.ca
barbara.jeffrey@york.ca
jjones@markham.ca
glandon@markham.ca
jvirgilio@markham.ca
joyce.frustaglio@vaughan.ca
mario.ferri@vaughan.ca
gino.rosati@vaughan.ca

I, being a resident of York Region, request through this e-mail, that the Council revise the time for the Public Hearing on June 16th regarding the urban boundary expansion onto white belt lands. I request the time be moved from 1:30 pm to 7:00 pm so that I may attend. A public hearing of this importance must be made available for as many York Region citizens and voters as possible.

This issue is very important and it would be seen as being undemocratic to deny people the opportunity to have their say because the Hearing is held in the middle of the day. I would not want to accuse the council of seeming to avoid the public process that is necessary to make fair decisions on this issue.

This is a very significant issue for the financial and environmental health and future sustainability of the region, I urge you to bring forward this request to Council.

Thank you,

Your Name and address

Sustainable Vaughan will be meeting with Environmental Defence and The David Suzuki Foundation this week to propose the idea that a five year moratorium on expanding the urban boundary must happen across all of York Region. We’re hoping to get Markham councilors on board as well. We also have support from two Toronto councillors on our proposal. Markham councillors cannot continue to make proposals regarding the white belt without considering what’s at stake across the entire York Region white belt. There is not much to gain if Markham’s white belt is converted to a foodbelt while Vaughan’s white belt gets developed with low density housing. The entire white belt must be considered as one entity, as the Greenbelt currently is.

Sustainable Vaughan is proposing that York Region implement a five year moratorium on development on white belt lands. The population numbers the province has given York Region to meet in twenty years may end up being far higher than expected. When we consider the types of high rise proposals that have been made in Vaughan since 2006, this is not hard to imagine. Keeping white belt lands out of development for five years will allow higher density development to take root throughout the region. The cost of home ownership, retiring seniors and the stimulation of public transit infrastructure in York Region will all help to increase the demand for condos, mid-rise housing and town homes

Thanks again for your continued support,

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Sustainable Vaughan’s Letter to the Province

Posted on May 11, 2010 by Sustainable Vaughan

Dear Hon. Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario, Hon. James Bradley, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Victor Severino, Housing and Assistant Deputy Minister (Growth Secretariat)

Sustainable Vaughan is a collection of concerned and active local citizens representing an organized and educated voice on issues regarding the environment, sustainability and growth within the City of Vaughan.

We are writing to alert you to the undemocratic, biased and unilateral manner in which the City of Vaughan is implementing its Official Plan. In addition to this we request that you do not approve York Region’s Official Plan, with the inclusion of an urban boundary expansion in Vaughan.

The City held its official Open House of its draft official plan on May 3rd (Volume 1) and is having a public hearing concerning the plan on May 17th. This gives citizens only two weeks to digest and understand a document containing over 300 pages. Additionally, there is a volume 2 of the official plan that has yet to be released. The condensed time frame for review and comments is neither fair nor democratic.

Our concerns are regarding the City’s proposed urban expansion onto white belt lands. The City has not proven to the public that the expansion is necessary or that it will not have a negative environmental or economic impact. There have been no environmental or economic studies available to prove this. These studies are requirements before urban expansion can be approved under the Places to Grow Act.

Sustainable Vaughan is not opposed to development and intensification. We do not dispute the numbers assigned by York Region for Vaughan. In fact we strongly believe that the intensification numbers used by the consultants are too low. We’ve consistently argued that the introduction of the Spadina subway line and Viva rapid transit system will allow the City to develop more densely, as was identified in the “Where and How to Grow” document in June 2009, and supported by proposed secondary plans. The official secondary plans along with the final intensification numbers for the Official Plan are yet to be released.

The growth numbers assigned to Vaughan (170,000 people) by York region can be accommodated, as has been shown in the “Where and How to Grow” document in 2009, without the need for white belt development. This was reinforced by the Hemson 2009 report and again in their Final Report April 2010. The city was given two choices, no urban boundary expansion and more intensification or less intensification and urban sprawl.

The City has chosen not to use the potential capacity claiming that the market for intensification type growth will not be realized. There is no market study to prove this assumption. A study has also not been provided to look at the viability of secondary suites (basement apartments) which there is a growing demand for. The intensification numbers for the areas that can accommodate sustainable, transit supportive growth are being lowered while they are also proposing to expand the urban boundary to allow sprawl. This defies the spirit of the Province’s Places to Grow Act.

At no time was the public involved in the decision to expand the urban boundary. The City of Markham is having a public debate over expanding its urban boundary and we in Vaughan have been denied the opportunity to discuss the two options available, expanding the urban boundary or increased intensification within the existing boundary. Markham has also conducted studies as to the cost implications of expanding the urban boundary. Why are two cities within the same region allowed to deal with this sensitive issue so differently?

We are not advocating for a food belt nor do we suggest lowering population targets. If development must occur in the white belt we want it to be dense, transit efficient and tax neutral. We refuse to allow precious farmland and ecologically sensitive land to be paved over by sprawling, low-rise subdivisions as presented at the City’s Open House (as 20 units /ha).

The entire process concerning expansion onto white belt lands has been undemocratic and rushed. We urge the province to step in and demand that York Region and the City of Vaughan establish a five year moratorium on expansion into the white belt lands in Vaughan. This proposal will provide the City with ample time to properly conduct a study concerning expansion and the resulting cost implications.

We also request a more open process where the public will be allowed to debate this very controversial and significant decision, similar to what the City of Markham has conducted. Until that time we do not believe the proposed expansion has been conducted in an open, consultative and democratic manner.

We request your involvement in this matter and that you do not approve York Region’s Official Plan with the inclusion of an urban boundary expansion in Vaughan as it provides for a premature and unjustified urban expansion.

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Sustainable Vaughan Receives Funding

Posted on May 6, 2010 by Sustainable Vaughan

Members of Sustainable Vaughan met with the Greenbelt Alliance and Environmental Defence today.  These organizations are two of the provinces strongest advocates fighting against urban sprawl and unsustainable development. Both groups are supporting Sustainable Vaughan’s position that there should be a 5 year moratorium on expanding the urban boundary onto white belt lands. With their help, Sustainable Vaughan’s message will be able to reach a broader audience. An audience that includes planners, environmentalists, conservationists, politicians, celebrities, and concerned members of the public who have become tired of being denied a say in how their city should be developed.

Environmental Defence has also agreed to provide Sustainable Vaughan with funding. We now have a permanent, Vaughan focused environmental coalition.

We are also in the process of contacting the provincial government regarding the official plan. We don’t believe they are aware of the compressed time frame that has been imposed on us by the city. We are informing the province that the process has been undemocratic. The average citizen would not be able to digest and offer comments regarding a 300 page report in two weeks.

Three things you can do to support Sustainable Vaughan.

  1. Spread the word.

Talk to your neighbours about the issue and send this email to any friends who you feel would be interested in being added to our mailing list. Tell them to email us back to be added.

  1. Get informed.

Sustainable Vaughan is hosting an Information Session and Q & A on Thursday May 13th at the Legion Hall in Woodbridge, 60 Legion Court Rd. This can seem like a complex issue, but it is not. We want to make sure citizens have the opportunity to understand what Sustainable Vaughan is opposing. Citizens can then make up their own minds if they wish to help support us. This also provides you with the opportunity to meet your friends and neighbours who are banding together over this issue.

  1. Come out & make your voice heard.

The City is holding a statutory Public Hearing for the draft Official Plan Monday, May 17th from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at the City of Vaughan, 2141 Major Mackenzie Dr.

This is our chance to be heard. Sustainable Vaughan is getting experts and non experts to voice their opinions, knowledge and concerns over the proposed urban expansion.  Please get in touch with us if you want to be stand up and speak out. We are drafting a list of issues we would like the city to hear. We will also forward a script if you want to simply tell the city that you support this organization and the proposal we have put forward.

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Citizens of Vaughan call for a Moratorium on Sprawl

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Sustainable Vaughan

Sustainable Vaughan request the City remove the urban sprawl in the white belt lands from the New Official Plan and focus growth in the existing Urban Boundary, in both the designated intensification and the existing Greenfield areas, reviewing the need for expansion in the mandated five year time frame.

White Belt lands are rural lands not protected under the Green Belt or Oak Ridges Moraine conservation legislation. Currently White Belt lands have a moratorium on development. These lands can be made available for development under strict rules set out by the province only if the city agrees to extend its urban boundary to include them for development.

During sessions and workshops held by the city about the new official plan, citizens expressed their displeasure over continued urban sprawl and their preference for dense, vibrant, pedestrian oriented development. This is the type of development that would reduce car use and thus congestion on our roads.

The Coalition strongly believes there should be a five year moratorium on any expansion of the urban boundary onto existing White Belt lands for these reasons:

1. The cities consultants concluded that expansion is not necessary.

2. Expansion is environmentally destructive.

3. Expansion will ultimately increase your taxes.

4. Expansion will create further traffic congestion.

5. There’s no justification for making a rushed decision.

Sustainable Vaughan is a collection of concerned and active local residents representing an organized and educated voice on issues regarding the environment, sustainability and growth within the city of Vaughan.

Sustainable Vaughan will be hosting an information session regarding the Official Plan and the proposed urban boundary extension on Thursday May 13 at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 414, 60 Legion Court Road, Woodbridge.

To join Sustainable Vaughan or to keep informed about our causes please email

sustainablevaughan@gmail.com



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Vaughan Official Plan Calls for Sprawl

Posted on May 2, 2010 by Sustainable Vaughan

The City of Vaughan is set to release a draft of its new Official Plan May 3rd and council will vote on adoption of the plan on September 7th. This leaves citizens the summer to study the document and voice their concerns about the future growth of their city. The Official Plan is the document that will direct where and how the city grows for the next twenty years. Among the highlights of the draft Official Plan being released is for the city to accommodate an additional 170 000 new residents by 2031.

Intensification is already a reality in Vaughan. Proposals from developers are bold in their density and this trend will only increase once the Spadina Line Subway Extension and the Viva rapid transit lines are in place. The municipality, under the direction of the Places to Grow Act, must comply with the provinces growth numbers stated above. Increased density is inevitable, but will the new Official Plan put an end to sprawl? Not according to the contents of the plan to be released. The draft Official Plan will allow the option for expansion of the city north into what is known as the White Belt.

White Belt lands are rural lands not protected under the Green Belt or Oak Ridges Moraine conservation legislation. Located just below the Greenbelt these lands were once predominately farm land but most have been bought up by developers for speculative purposes. These lands can be made available for development under strict rules set out by the province only if the city agrees to extend its urban boundary to include them for development. Currently White Belt lands have a moratorium on development.
By opening up development onto White Belt Lands the city would be giving the green light to suburban sprawl. According to documents already available on the city’s website and endorsed by council, all the growth that the province is asking of Vaughan can be accommodated without expanding into the White Belt.

During the past two years I’ve participated in community workshops where the consensus among citizens was clear, no more suburban sprawl and no more sprawl induced traffic congestion. What the majority of citizens consistently asked the city for during this process was for vibrant, pedestrian oriented development and less reliance on the automobile, in other words, sustainable growth. At no time during the public consultation phase did citizens ask for growth to expand into the White Belt lands.

Recently in Markham, two progressive councillors have brought forward a proposal to protect the White Belt lands north of that city by designating them Food Belt lands. These lands would be spared from development by continuing to be farmed. The visionary proposal and the subsequent negative reaction by developers have captured the attention of the GTA.

Does Vaughan require a foodbelt? At this time we don’t know. What we do know is Vaughan doesn’t require more sprawl. Opening development to White Belt lands now will result in the type of sprawl citizens of Vaughan have stated they no longer want. The type of development proposed on these lands today is low rise, single family homes . Explicitly the type of unsustainable development we no longer can afford and the city should no longer endorse. This isn’t to say there should never be development on White Belt lands. These lands may need to be developed in the future and if so they should be the very last lands to be developed. What shape that development should eventually take and when would it be necessary is hard to predict. What we do know is that all the projected growth for Vaughan required by the Places to Grow Act for 2031 can be accommodated outside of the White Belt.

If you do not want the sprawl and traffic congestion that is already hurting your quality of life to increase let your politicians know about it. A five year moratorium on the expansion of the urban boundary into the White Belt lands.

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