Ford said her city waives developer fees for its own priority -- office construction in its downtown core
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie needs to “stop being disingenuous” and “get on board” with the provincial government’s plan to accelerate the building of new homes, Premier Doug Ford says.
The provincial government wants to work collaboratively on its housing agenda with Crombie and other municipal leaders instead of having to listen to daily “whining and complaining,” he said.
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“There’s 300,000 people coming here every single year,” Ford said Wednesday. “I know we have a few mayors that don’t want to play in the sandbox, one being Mayor Crombie and I don’t know what her issue is.”
Crombie has tweeted that Mississauga needs to be compensated for lost development and park fees under Ford’s Bill 23, which requires municipalities to limit or lift these fees.
“I will continue to reiterate that cities must be compensated for any and all losses as a result of Bill 23, including lost funding for parkland acquisition,” Crombie said in a statement on Dec. 1.
Mayors across Ontario have expressed the same concern about losing the fees used to pay for infrastructure related to new development.
Ford said Mississauga waives developer fees for its own priority — office construction in its downtown core.
Yet fees on new home development have gone up almost 30% over the past two years in Mississauga, adding $126,000 in total municipal fees to the cost of each new home, he said.
Mississauga brings in more than $34 million each year in municipal taxes on new homes, and each year spends about $25 million of those funds, while parkland fees bring in more than $17 million annually and only $9 million is spent, he said.
“They’re holding $271 million of those funds collected in reserves,” Ford said.
Mississauga needs to build 120,000 homes over the next 10 years, about 12,000 a year, but the city’s current annual average is approximately 2,100 homes, Ford said.
Meanwhile, Crombie is handing out flyers criticizing provincial government housing legislation designed to speed up the process, he said.
“All I say is get on board, stop being disingenuous you know with the people of Mississauga, it’s just absolutely wrong,” the premier said.
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The Ford government has brought in several housing bills that put a large dent in housing developer fees either directly or through penalties related to late approvals.
The government is also poised to pass controversial legislation that would allow the mayors of Ottawa and Toronto — where much of the new housing will go — to control council with the support of just one-third of councillors.
Ford defended the bill by noting Toronto Mayor John Tory received more votes than all other council members combined.
“For him to have one vote, that’s just not acceptable,” he said.
The Ford government has said that housing affordability was a key issue for voters in June’s provincial election, and that the old way of getting homes built won’t meet growing needs.
“I’m asking for a partnership with Mayor Crombie, Mayor Tory, all the other mayors,” Ford said. “If we sit back and think something magical thing is going to happen, where you think when people come here we’re going to start living in mud huts? It’s not going to happen under our government.”
aartuso@postmedia.com
