The simple fact of the matter is that the Liberal Government at Queens Park is forcing Newmarket to grow (under the Places to Grow Act) whether the residents and ratepayers of Newmarket want it or not (and no wonder municipal voter turn out is so low in light of how the province has marginalized the authority of the local councils).
What I find ironic is that certain prominent local Liberal activists (see this link for a list of board members http://newmarketaurora.ridingassociation.org/pAboutUs) are also listed prominently here: http://preserveglenway.ca/?page_id=18, here: http://shrinkslessorsquare.ca/blog/75-shrink-slessor-members-vote-for-incorporation; and here: http://www.newmarket.ca/en/townhall/contactinformationmayorandtowncouncil.asp
In other words, the people responsible for helping to elect the bozos that created the mess that Newmarket is in have managed to infiltrate into leadership positions of the groups that are supposed to be fighting these developments. Huh? How's that supposed to work?
Personally, I'm against growth. I'd rather see Glenway preserved and Yonge Davis re-developed into something that doesn't include 30 storey high rises. Yet, let's be realistic. The growth is being shoved down our collective throats. There is going to be traffic congestion, infrastructure costs, school issues and all the other inconveniences whether we like it or not, (thanks for nothing to the people listed here: http://newmarketaurora.ridingassociation.org/pAboutUs).
What I would like to see is the people listed here: http://newmarketaurora.ridingassociation.org/pAboutUs to use their influence (especially during the present leadership race) to make the Places to Grow act an issue within the Liberal party. Maybe if enough prominent local Liberals spoke up against this legislation, the next premier of Ontario will grant a stay of execution for Newmarket and save us all the headache that is to come. Up until this point, I have not read anything from these prominent members of the Council, Glenway Preservation Association or Shrink Slessor Square that leads me to hope that they will speak up against Queens Park but they have to realize that they have a duty to defend our community in every which way they can.
I hope that everyone who reads this blog will write/ phone the members listed here: http://newmarketaurora.ridingassociation.org/pAboutUs and ask them to advocate for Newmarket.
In the mean time, my thoughts on the meeting last night in point form:
- I felt sympathy last night for the people who were lead to believe that Council has some authority here. All local authority has been usurped by the Government of Ontario. I felt uncomfortable seeing certain members of this list http://newmarketaurora.ridingassociation.org/pAboutUs being on stage last night because I think they know this fact (or should know this fact).
- Last night was just 'for show' because the province's Planning Act requires it. Knowing that made me feel sad that the hundreds of people (including the Council members) in attendance apparently have no say in what happens to our town. That decision has been made at Queens Park already.
- We are being forced to grow so Newmarket will have to come to grips with choosing between single family home developments (like Glenway and McGregor Farms) or high rise developments (such as Slessor Square and Millard St). I believe that a point was made by Chris Emanuel here: http://chrisemanuel.com/blog/2013/1/3/crunching-the-numbers-why-we-dont-need-glenway-to-hit-our-gr.html that we don't need to choose both options. Councillor Emanuel doesn't explain why he favours high rises to single family homes but I think if given a choice, most of Newmarket would prefer single family homes to high rises.
It is what it is unfortunately for those that see the glaring issues such as the lack of transportation infrastructure, schools, ect...
ReplyDeleteWhat I have always thought is that the transportation plans put forth don't have enough information. In Ajax, when they just looked at their transportation plan they did a survey of where people travel from their home. It's hardly a reliable model because although there were no trips to Brantford or Hamilton, I personally took at least 10 trips in that period of time for work.
Anyway, the growth has to happen, but that doesn't mean there can't be push back to make sure the vital services are in place. These generic letters from MTO ... oh we are studying this corridor... blah blah blah doesn't cut it. Studies take years. There is a crisis they are only starting to handle.
It's like nails on a chalkboard to watch people fight back and forth about what's the best way forward. One group is anti car and so wage the war on cars, another group fights for cycling, another for transit... We need an inclusive plan that handles the reality of what we have not the dream of what they want to force down peoples throats.
Anyway, rant over :)