Housing shortfall, costs and affordability

[bravado]

Thought I'd share a remarkably good bit of local news reporting on the topic of the OLT and Cambridge city council's curious relationship with it.

City's defense costs continue to mount at Ontario Land Tribunal

City racks up more than $263,000 in fees defending itself over the last two years with 11 cases remaining on the docket, including a new appeal launched by the owner of the former Preston Springs

CambridgeToday wanted to know just how heavy the toll is on taxpayers, so we asked the city for some insight into cases that have been before the tribunal since January 1, 2022.

We were forced to file our request through the Freedom of Information Act and pay a processing fee once the city decided to grant us access.

Over seven cases filed since early 2022 and concluding as late as June of 2023, the city paid $263,523 in legal and consulting fees to represent its side at OLT hearings.
[...]
Mayor Jan Liggett tried to get the system changed two years ago but failed to convince council to support an effort led by Aurora Mayor Tom Mrakas.

She could not be reached for comment for this story.

But back then, as Ward 4 councillor, she urged fellow councillors to support a resolution calling for dissolution of the tribunal because it had become "so profoundly pro-development" it no longer served the municipalities it was designed to help.

“It is consistently and repeatedly overriding local community development plans in favour of development interests,” she told her fellow councillors.

“We will never solve the housing crisis, which is rampant across the province, through the decisions of this unaccountable body.”
[...]
Two appeals since 2022 stand out because they were triggered by council decisions that ignored expert advice.

In both cases, the city lost.
[...]

In addition to the Preston Springs appeal, the city will need to pay legal fees and hire outside consultants to defend council's decision on two more cases this year:

- a plan to build two stacked townhouse buildings with 32 units at 220 and 22 Blair Road.
- a plan to build a 39-unit townhouse complex at the corner of Wayne Avenue and Pinebush Road
[...]

The most important, and most grown-up comments were saved for the end by Councillor Hamilton, the only guy who seems to take this job seriously:

"It shows how little power city councils actually have," says Cambridge Coun. Scott Hamilton, who keeps the OLT and taxpayer burden in mind whenever a contentious decision comes to the horseshoe.

The toughest part of the job, he says, is when 20 people are yelling at you in council chambers to vote against something and there's a report in front of you recommending it.

In those moments it's essential to strip away the emotional component because a council decision can't be based on knee-jerk reaction, he says.

"We are not experts on council. We don't have experience in architecture...in land use planning. The best we can do is listen to those experts."

The power of council is in consultation; with developers, with residents and with staff to try to shape housing developments into something that meets the needs of the community and addresses as many as concerns as possible, he says. 

Federal, provincial and regional mandates on growth matter, as does the Ontario Land Tribunal, he says.

The fact is, "if it ticks the provincial box, if it ticks the regional box" in terms of meeting growth and density objectives and gets the support of city planning staff, it gives city council very little wiggle room at the OLT.

Voting against it, in many cases, is like throwing taxpayers' money away. But that's the reality of the current system.

"I don't think people realize the gravity of it." 

"The OLT is a massive hammer that's wielded above us. It's an unfortunate reality."