**** CALLING ALL OCEC MEMBERS****

URGENT 2nd FULL COALITION CALL TO ACTION:
OPPOSE BILL 23 ‘MORE HOMES BUILT FASTER ACT’ 
 NOTE: If you are a group signatory representative please share with your entire membership to encourage mass action – if shared through the entire coalition fully OCEC has the potential to mobilize 850,000 Ontarians. This is the time we all need to act together.

Dear OCEC Members,

Ontario Climate Emergency Campaign issued its first full Coalition Call to Action on Bill 23 Nov 10/22. Since Oct 25 Bill 23 has been rapidly pushed through 3 readings and will go to vote Monday, Nov 28/22 when it is anticipated to likely pass. The threats posed by Bill 23 to  public health, Greenbelt, food security, affordable housing, taxpayers, municipal planning and due democratic process are many and great.

We are calling on every single one of you to continue pushing back. People power got Bill 28, restricting workers’ collective bargaining rights, repealed within a few days. Please see the new Call to Action below – every action counts!

We expect Bill 23 to be voted on Monday at 11:30 am, please come to Q. Park if you can. Let’s fill the gallery! Q Period is 10:30 to 11:30 am.  Bring ID and allow 30 min for security check.

WE ARE ASKING EVERY GROUP TO TAKE THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS

1) Organize a rally for the “Hands Around the Greenbelt”: Join groups across the province on Sat Dec 3 or Sun Dec 4  for a weekend of actions. Create your own rally beside those already occurring or invite your members to join with others. See below for helpful resources about rally locations as well as more about the theme “Hands Around the Greenbelt”. For more information and to register your own event go to https://environmentaldefence.ca/handsoffthegreenbelt/

2) Collect petition signatures: ClimateFast has a petition designed for handwritten signatures that can be presented in the Legislature by opposition MPPs.  You can find the model here, if people give their emails these should be added into a list for follow up. OCEC can add them if the petitions come to us.  Contact Lyn at ocec.chair@gmail.com with any questions.  Lyn can coordinate petition delivery.

3) Send written submissions to the Ontario government (Environmental Registry of Ontario):  Public pressure has resulted in deadlines being pushed back to Dec 4 or Dec 9. If you aren’t sure what to write you can find examples here. To see the full list of deadlines click here 

4) Flood your MPP’s offices with phone calls (more effective) and emails. Use this rapid tool to find your MPP. Also, click here to learn about other groups assisting people with calling and emailing their MPP’s.

5) Please come to Queen’s Park on Monday. We expect Bill 23 to be voted on at 11:30 am on Monday, Nov 28, after question period (10:30 to 11:30)  Allow 30 min to go through security. Bring your ID.  Come at 10 am to be seated for question period, or later if just for the vote.  Note: petitions will be presented to an MPP on the outside steps of Queen’s Park at 11 am.  Groups with petitions may want to be present.  Also on Monday at 12:30 will be a rally at MPP Mike Ford’s constituency office 1832 Weston Rd.

OCEC Bill 23 RESOURCES:

Join OCEC”s slack channel for quick collaborating and to find links to notes, meeting minutes and other materials https://join.slack.com/t/ontarioclimateemerg/shared_invite/zt-1k24ovu1i-0N2AgQalK1q~LtuJaeE0Ig 

Please keep us informed of your actions on slack or by email to ocec.chair@gmail.com

Visit the Against Bill 23 website; stay up to date on new information and actions across the province at https://www.againstbill23.com/

View Bill 23 resources on the OCEC Website:  https://www.ontarioclimateemergency.ca/resources

(1) BILL 23 “More Homes Built Faster Act” Summary: 

The proposed benefits of Bill 23 significantly overshadows the alarming and multiple long-term harms. The timeline clearly similarly undermines opportunities for public and expert review, scrutiny and oversight.  A detailed analysis is found here.

  • Benefits touted include bylaw changes promoting more non-single family homesand increased density near transit but the measures are so weak that it is estimated it will only create 50,000 of these types of homes. Approximately 1.4 million homes will be built elsewhere most likely through urban sprawl.
  • Critical and hard-won municipal planning and green development standards will be gutted. disrupting the ability to meet essential emissions targets
  • Bill 23 wipes out multiple measures used by municipalities to enable development while protecting social and environmental concerns, including eliminating the requirement for rental unit replacement when old buildings are replaced, destroying inherent protections for tenants against rent increases.
  • Municipalities will lose much of the revenue they currently received from development charges.
  • The powers of the Conservation Authorities will be decimated, creating massive risks of flooding, rampant sprawl, destruction of precious farmland, wetlands and natural habitat loss.
  • Sale of sensitive and previously protected conservation lands will be handed over to the government with NO requirement to consult with the Conservation Authority.
  • Coordinated regional planning will be destroyed in favour of uncoordinated lower-tier planning promoting disorganized expensive sprawl. Urban boundary decisions recently made by municipalities after citizen and expert input stand to be overturned with provincial authorities unilaterally imposing opposing mandates.
  • Contrary to provincial government claims for Bill 23, the resulting rampant sprawl is not the solution to the current crises of housing shortages, affordability and the combined climate and health crisis. Sprawl produces a smaller number of larger, less affordable, isolated and car-dependent housing units than planned walkable development within existing urban boundaries served by public transit. This will escalate dangerous greenhouse gas emissions, deadly air pollution, and multiple human health harms. It will hugely escalate the costs borne by municipalities and taxpayers.

These issues affect all of us deeply. Our rights and our futures are being sacrificed. This is our chance to exert collective power and change outcomes. Let’s mobilize as many of the 850,000 voices in OCEC as possible and beyond to make a difference!

Sincerely,

The OCEC Team