Guelph council will write housing minister about official plan changes despite mayor's objection

Guelph councillors want the province to know they don't appreciate the changes it made to the city's official plan.

The mayor, however, doesn't really like that idea.

Coun. Leanne Caron brought a motion forward to the May 9 council meeting asking the mayor to write a letter to the province and others saying they were displeased with alterations made by Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark.

During a presentation by Melissa Aldunate, the city's manager of policy planning and urban design, councillors heard that some of the modifications were significant — including removing some references to the Basilica of Our Lady.

Guelph's official plan policy noted that the basilica "was a landmark and a signature building and those references have been deleted," Aldunate said.

In the Guelph Innovation District, the province "significantly reduced the area of employment designations ... to expand the residential land use designation area," she said.

Building heights were increased to 18 storeys along Victoria Road S. where before the limit was 10 storeys, while the minimum high of buildings on main street and commercial mixed use corridors was also changed from three to four storeys.

"It does have an impact on the form of development we were anticipating," Aldunate said.

On some specific sites in the city — on George Street, Willow Road and Clair Road W. — the minister also altered decisions of council. Properties were changed from either low density, medium density or industrial to high density residential. On Crawley Road, land set aside in the original official plan as natural areas were changed to industrial and the province said a road would be required in the area.

These decisions are "final and not appealable," Aldunate told council and said staff will now work to implement the changes over the next year.

Caron said she wanted to write to the province about the changes because "we expect some edits" but said what Clark did "was very different."

"These were far more than alignment amendments. These were fundamental, significant changes to the look and feel of our city," Caron said.

'Poking the province in the eye'

Caron argued the changes made by the province did not change how many housing units would be built in the city.

But Mayor Cam Guthrie said he felt that sending a letter to the province was not the right move as Clark's decision is final and Gutherie said he didn't want to cause intergovernmental issues.

"I think this is poking the province in the eye and I don't think it's helpful," he said.

"We're pushing forward a narrative," Guthrie added. "I feel like this narrative continues to perpetuate that Guelph is a difficult place to do business and that this is a difficult place to build homes."

He also said some developers feel like they need to go over the city and advocate to the province to build.

"Maybe it's because we're the problem," he said.

Caron, however, said if developers and home builders follow the official plan, then planning applications can be approved by staff and don't need to go before council.

"If you want to change the rules, expect delays," Caron said.

"You can call that red tape Mr. Mayor, I call those regulations. Regulations have a purpose. Regulations are to protect our environment, to protect health and safety, to protect our city, to protect our future generations — those are all good things."

Want to work 'collaboratively' with province

Coun. Michele Richardson said she felt like the city had a responsibility to communicate with the province "that we're wanting to work with them collaboratively, but we do have concerns and it's not much of a democracy if we're afraid to express those concerns."

"If the province, as you say, would see us as being difficult for that, or be punitive with us, because we want to be heard, I think that's an incredible shame," Richardson said.

Coun. Dan Gibson said he felt the debate exposed "a blind spot" in that councillors weren't thinking about the people in the city between the ages of 18 and 35 who want to buy a home and can't.

Gibson said with that age group, the More Homes Built Faster Act passed by the province is well-received. 

"This [provincial] government ran on this platform, they were elected on this platform, they're implementing this platform and outside of the municipal world, out in the demographics that are still trying to get into the housing market, this is an incredibly popular piece of legislation," said Gibson.

Guthrie was the lone dissenter when the motion was put to a vote.

He asked councillors to raise their hands if they were against sending the letter to the province. When no one else did so, he said, "Only me? The one who has to sign it. Sounds good."