“It was with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Lynne Woolstencroft this morning, at the age of 69. A former Mayor of Waterloo, Chair of the Waterloo County Board of Education, and a long-term teacher at Conestoga College, Lynne was an advocate for education, environment, and for our community.

“I had the pleasure of knowing Lynne on both a professional and a personal level. She was warm, open, and a true leader for our community. It was during her term as Mayor that planning and agreements for the Perimeter Institute, Centre for International Governance Innovation, and the University of Waterloo’s Research and Technology Park began. Just this past March she was awarded the Jack Young Civic Award, the Regional Municipality of Waterloo’s highest honour. She also received the Diamond Jubilee Award last year for her exceptional contribution to the community and to the Region.

“First serving as a trustee on the Waterloo County Board of Education, Lynne went on to serve as Chair of the Board, as President of the Association of Large School Boards, as a three-term city councilor, and as Mayor of Waterloo.

“Over the course of her career she inspired many young women to enter the political arena.  Her voice and her passion for change will be missed.”

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Media contact: Andrew Schwab, 416-325-2756

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The focus of my event was the local food economy, which provided an opportunity to acknowledge some of our local sustainability leaders.

Little City Farm, an urban homestead that sets a positive example of sustainability and helps to open the minds of the community to sustainable living practices.

Smart Growth Waterloo, who have emerged as a result of the local OMB decision. They have brought together ideas from environmental and community groups to speak in one voice about future of Waterloo Region.

The Bailey-Dick Family, who raise urban chickens and work to educate people on the benefits of doing so.

And finally, Seven Shores Urban Market & Café. Their contribution to the health of the Waterloo region starts with their commitment to sourcing local food, and supporting local farmers. They pay their staff a living wage, and they purchase all of their products, whether local or international, on a fair trade basis. Seven Shores is committed to the protection of local employment and farm land, stimulating the local economy and building towards an overall improvement of quality of life in the Waterloo region.

All of these amazing leaders are making a difference in our region, building a strong community and a thriving local economy.

I would like to congratulate them all on their successful ventures and thank them for their invaluable contributions.

Thank you.

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This community has a wealth of women leaders who excel in areas such as business, community outreach, environmental issues, education and the arts. We are stronger and healthier because of their advocacy.
Four of these women are recipients of the Ontario Leading Women Building Communities award for 2013: Shannon Dea, Jessica del Rosso, Diane Freeman and Ginette Lafrenière.

Dea is an advocate for under-represented groups in academia and in the community. She is chair of the Canadian Philosophical Association Equity Committee, sits on the board of directors of Planned Parenthood and served as co-chair of the Waterloo Take Back the Night committee. Dea is an effective and courageous spokesperson on gender issues. She leads by example and acts to support and advance women’s issues in Kitchener-Waterloo.

As an advocate for youth in foster care, del Rosso acts as a public voice for those in foster care and works with youth to help them find their own voice. She has represented youth in foster care at events including Ontario Youth Can, the Tree of Hope Campaign, World Forum and Ontario Youth Matter. She has also helped to create a blueprint on how to improve child welfare in Ontario. Her own experiences have fueled her to speak out for others who are often underrepresented in our community. Del Rosso is more than a survivor, she is an inspiration.
Fewer than 10 per cent of professional engineers are women, and Waterloo city councillor Diane Freeman acts not only as an example to other women in her field, but as an active supporter of their careers. She is past president of the Professional Engineers of Ontario, a representative on the Board of Engineers of Ontario. As a city councillor, she has demonstrated her commitment to walkable neighbourhoods. Through her professional and volunteer contributions, she demonstrates what it means to care for your community.

Lafrenière is an influential educator and contributor to many social initiatives in Waterloo Region. She founded the Social Innovation Research Group at WLU and has been an active volunteer with the Violence Against Women Forum of the Central West Region of Ontario since 2007. Through all of her work, she connects research and advocacy with community building.

Please join me in celebrating these women May 10, at 12:30 p.m., at Knox Presbyterian Church as I present them with the Leading Women Building Communities award.

RSVP by emailing my office at cfife-co@ndp.on.ca or on Facebook.

Published in the Waterloo Chronicle on May 8, 2013.

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Ms. Catherine Fife: My question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

The OMB recently overruled the region of Waterloo’s official plan and supported sprawl development on 1,000 hectares of rural land. This ruling hurts local agricultural businesses and jobs, increases municipal infrastructure costs and undermines transit-oriented development. This is far from the first time an OMB decision has gone against progressive planning principles and good local economies. When will the minister finally admit that the unelected, outdated OMB is not serving the needs of Ontarians and take action to reform this unelected body?

Hon. Linda Jeffrey: I guess I’ll speak to the first part of the question. There were kind of two parts to that question, and certainly when the Ontario Municipal Board issued its decision with regard to the region of Waterloo’s official plan, and regarding the development of the area regarding their growth plan, certainly they had contacted my ministry and asked for our assistance, and the city of Waterloo obviously sought appeal to this decision through the Divisional Court. We were contacted, and we went back, discussed the decision and certainly we shared our intent. We’ve made it public that we will act as a party to Waterloo’s decision, because certainly we think that that’s important to do. Because the issue is before the courts, obviously it would be inappropriate for me to comment any further.

But I can comment to the importance of a growth plan. Certainly I think everybody in this Legislature understands that it’s important to have a vision that guides all of the province and the Golden Horseshoe over the next 25 years, and we’re working with municipalities to make that happen.

Ms. Catherine Fife: Minister, I have heard repeatedly from constituents who feel the OMB does not speak for them and that community members and municipal leaders should have more input into planning decisions. The OMB decision in Waterloo reveals systemic problems with the planning process, ambiguities about density targets and the Places to Grow Act, lack of consideration of local and environmental impacts, and a lack of municipal authority over official plans. When will the government fix the planning process so that it serves families and communities rather than the interests of those who hold power at the OMB?

Hon. Linda Jeffrey: I understand that many of my colleagues have an interest in improving the OMB, and certainly my colleagues from across the aisle have made suggestions on how we can improve it. Both parties have made suggestions, and we welcome their input on how to improve the process.

We listened to our municipal partners back in 2006 when we added the requirement that the OMB take into consideration the information that is provided by municipal councils in making their decisions. In addition, we also made sure that municipalities have the ability to create their own local appeals body with regard to certain planning matters municipalities had the ability to create their own local appeals body with regard to certain planning matters, showing our government’s respect for elected officials and their decision-making. Our government is always open and receptive to hearing new and constructive ideas on how to improve this system. Certainly it’s a conversation that I’ve been having with the AMO board at our MOU table because we respect and want to consult with municipalities across Ontario on how to make the system more constructive.

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While it is good to see the region receiving support in its appeal to the Ontario Divisional Court to overturn the municipal board ruling, another pressing concern is whether or not the provincial government recognizes the need to reform the board.

Planning experts, progressive developers and concerned citizens alike have raised their voices. In response, two conflicting bills that propose to reform the municipal board have passed second reading in this legislative session at Queen’s Park.

Critics see the municipal board decision as undermining the Region of Waterloo’s new official plan and dismissing a decade’s worth of work by the region’s planners. Rather than accept growth projections based on census data that suggested limited demand for suburban sprawl, the municipal board chose to trust the projections of some developers based on dated growth trends. If this decision stands, Waterloo Region will be hard-pressed to meet the targets set out in the Liberal government’s Places to Grow Act.

The municipal board is a powerful and unelected body whose board members can serve an unlimited number of terms. At the very least, the board should be accountable to the citizens of this province.

Despite its recent support of the Region of Waterloo’s legal appeal, the government is failing to show leadership on the comprehensive reform necessary to regulate the Ontario Municipal Board’s chokehold on municipalities.

In the current session at Queen’s Park, two bills proposing municipal board reform have passed second reading and now sit on the order paper. Bill 20, the Respect for Municipalities Act, seeks to allow municipalities to opt out of Ontario Municipal Board oversight, starting with Toronto. Bill 41, the Preserving Existing Communities Act, seeks to prevent municipal board appeal on projects that add density to existing neighbourhoods. Liberal MPPs supported both bills, demonstrating the obvious need for change as well as an erratic approach to policy-making.

The only way forward is to reform the Ontario Municipal Board process as soon as possible.

The Ontario NDP has previously suggested making better use of tools already available. Joint boards, for instance, could add members of the Environmental Review Tribunal to municipal board hearings, thereby broadening the board’s perspective. In doing so, environmental protection and water resources would be considered, in addition to planning.

Reinstating funding to groups representing the public interest at hearings would level the playing field between communities and deep-pocketed developers. The number of cases that make it to the municipal board could be streamlined by establishing a leave-to-appeal process similar to that used in the courts. In doing so, a gateway to the municipal board could be established so that only issues for which there is clear cause to question a municipal decision could proceed to a hearing.

Most importantly, reforming the municipal board needs to happen sooner rather than later, before another situation like ours in Waterloo Region threatens to unravel years of planning for a sustainable future by our elected municipal governments.

The Ontario Municipal Board is broken, let’s fix it.

Published in The Record on May 1, 2013.

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This past week, I had the distinct pleasure of attending the Sustainable Waterloo Evening of Recognition. Sustainable Waterloo Region is a not-for-profit organization that has made incredible progress in advancing the environmental sustainability of organizations across the region.

They have grown tremendously in their collective impact in recent years. In 2012, the Regional Carbon Initiative, Sustainable Waterloo Region’s flagship program, increased its membership by 20 organizations, employing 13% of the region’s workforce. Members have now committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 45,000 tonnes, which is equivalent to taking 10,000 cars off the road.

Last Thursday, Sustainable Waterloo Region recognized five members that made significant achievements in the past year. Awards were presented to XCG Environmental Engineers and Scientists; AET Environmental Consultants, Ecologists and Scientists; VeriForm metal fabricating solutions; Enermodal Engineering; and the region of Waterloo.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to offer my congratulations to the recipients, and I would also like to congratulate Sustainable Waterloo Region for their outstanding achievements in working towards a thriving Waterloo region with a healthy environment and a vibrant economy. To quote Wilfrid Laurier president Max Blouw, “If you have people within your organization that are passionate about environmental issues, mobilize them.” It is amazing what can be achieved when we mobilize on sustainable development, and I would like to personally commend Sustainable Waterloo Region executive director Mike Morrice and board chair Dr. Barry Colbert for their leadership in this area.

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Mr. Speaker this past weekend I had the distinct pleasure of attending the Mayor’s Dinner in support of the Working Centre in KW.   This event celebrates individuals who have made outstanding contributions to our community.   It is worth noting that the Working Centre itself deserves celebrating as it is a progressive model of social entrepreneurship, generosity and compassion and for many years has been the social net that catches our most vulnerable citizens when government institutions have failed them.

This year, the Working Centre honoured and celebrated the life, work and vision of citizen Ron Schlegel. Mr. Schlegel is a hugely influential volunteer, businessperson and academic in Kitchener-Waterloo.  Perhaps most importantly, we all celebrated his vision of society as a village. Mr. Schlegel believes that each of us, using our talents and working with each other, can achieve a common goal of building a better community. His vision of a village informed his academic work on aging and his successful retirement communities and long-term care facilities where dignity, nutrition and engagement are at the center of Senior health.

In his work as a faculty member at the University of Waterloo, Mr. Schlegel helped establish the Health Studies and Gerontology department. His ongoing commitment to promote new and better ways of providing service for older adults led to the founding of the Schlegel – University of Waterloo Research Institute for Aging in 2005 along with the Centre for Applied Health Research and the Murray Alzheimer Research Education Program.

Schlegel Villages – a series of 14 long-term care& retirement continuum of care facilities – has not only done good work through Waterloo Region, but has been recognized for its integration of new urbanism principles: designing pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods that enhance health and personal wellness.

Mr. Schlegel has been described as a ‘visionary’ who has built his philanthropy into each of his business models.

It’s also been said that he is “not content with ‘what is’ but strives for ‘what can be.’”

The service that the Working Centre provides Kitchener-Waterloo might also be described as visionary and striving for ‘what can be.’ It is an example of how, by finding the strengths of each member of our community and working with those people, alongside local businesses, our shared vision of a stronger community can be realized. I want to congratulate Mr. Schlegel but also the Working Centre for being such fundamental components of our village.

Indeed we are fortunate to have such an inspirational citizen in KW as well as a progressive model for employment and social justice through the Working Centre of Kitchener-Waterloo.

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In case of an emergency, please find a list of emergency contacts in Kitchener-Waterloo here.

Enjoy the long weekend!

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Who is eligible?

Seniors over 65 who qualify for this award may have contributed in many different fields including arts, literature, community service, voluntarism, education, environment, fitness and humanitarian.

How do I nominate someone?

You can nominate someone online by visiting the Government of Ontario’s website:  http://www.citizenship.gov.on.ca/english/citizenship/honours/saa.shtml

http://www.citizenship.gov.on.ca/english/citizenship/honours/saa.shtml

When is the deadline?

The deadline is June 15 each year. If June 15 falls on a weekend or holiday, nominations are accepted until 5:00 p.m. the following business day.

Nominations may be submitted at any time. Nominations received after the deadline will be considered for the following year.

How are recipients selected?

An independent selection committee reviews all the nominations and selects the recipients. Members of the selection committee are from the seniors’ community and are appointed by the Minister Responsible for Seniors.

Up to 20 seniors are selected each year.

How are the awards presented?

A special ceremony is held at Queen’s Park in October each year to honour the recipients.

For more information:

For more information or to have your questions answered, please email  ontariohonoursandawards@ontario.ca or call 1-877-832-8622.

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Speaker today I’d like to bring to the attention of this house a growing and emerging issue that not only affects the riding of Kitchener-Waterloo but every Riding in the province that is attempting to manage and direct growth in a fiscally responsible and sustainable manner.  An issue that my colleague from Trinity Spadina raised by way of a private members bill.

Recently the Ontario Municipal Board sided with developers against the democratically elected Regional Government and the Regional Official Plan.  A plan that was 10 years in the making.

The Region, in accordance with the Good Places To Grow legislation had consulted with all stakeholders extensively and adapted their growth strategy to be more intensive with less sprawl.   The Region’s plan called for 85 hectares of development.   The development community argued that 1053 hectares were required to meet future growth.

The Region made a strong argument for future housing needs, particularly for a growing segment of the population.   Seniors will transition out of single family homes, into high density housing, with supports and accessible transit and amenities.

As a result, many homes in the sprawling communities that already exist would be open for new families.  This would be a new housing “choice” for both families and seniors -  Choice drives the market.

Density was also a key discussion in the decision.   If sprawl were allowed to continue, the Region clearly stated that they would not meet their density targets as required by the Growth Plan thus violating provincial rules.

The OMB made a clear distinction – density targets must be planned for but not necessarily met.

My office has received many concerns about this decision.   The main question being – how is it possible that an unelected board can overturn a policy designed by a Regional Government and supported by a Provincial Government?

The Region has appealed this decision to the Ontario Divisional Court, not the OMB board itself as is the responsible thing to do…

If this decision holds, it will negatively impact the people of Waterloo Region by way of increased taxes to support extensive infrastructure, water, sewage, fire, police services, schools etc, and environmentally through increased smog and congestion, less farmland, water re-charge, and natural habitats compromised.

It also sets a precedent for future decisions and reveals an emerging trend that is happening all over the province.

The OMB as it is currently structured needs a serious review where the needs of communities are balanced with those of developers.

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