Ford to Crombie, mayors criticizing housing law: 'Get on board' and 'stop whining'
The mayor of Mississauga and other municipal leaders who have voiced opposition to a new provincial housing law need to "get on board" and "stop whining," Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday in an unprompted burst of criticism.
Ford took issue with mayors who've raised concerns with the law that will reduce or eliminate some municipal revenues from developers, but singled out Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie after he made an unrelated announcement in neighbouring Brampton, Ont.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
"We have a few mayors that, you know, don't want to play in the sandbox and one being mayor Crombie, and I don't know what her issue is," Ford said.
The premier said he is asking for a partnership with Crombie and all the other mayors.
"If we sit back and think some magical thing is going to happen, or you think when people come here we're going to start living in mud huts -- it's not going to happen under our government," he said.
"We want to work collaboratively, co-operatively with you, but we need to get on board and start moving forward and stop the whining and complaining that I hear day in and day out."
Crombie responded with a lengthy statement refuting many of Ford's points.
"I'm not whining, I'm simply doing my job as mayor to stand up for our residents and taxpayers," she wrote.
"We are trying to build a great city and accommodate growth, but as it stands, this legislation will force us to either put the brakes on these plans due to lack of funding or significantly raise taxes by up to 10 per cent a year for the next decade. I think we can all agree that none of us want that."
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario has said the new law could leave municipalities short $5 billion and see taxpayers footing the bill -- either in the form of higher property taxes or service cuts -- to pay for infrastructure that supports new housing. It has also said there is nothing in the bill that would guarantee improved housing affordability.
Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark has said in response that he will launch a third-party audit of the finances of select municipalities to determine if the law will indeed cause a shortfall and if so, the province will make those communities "whole."
Ford said Mississauga has increased its fees on new homebuyers by nearly 30 per cent in the last two years and that makes it difficult for people to buy a home. He also accused Mississauga of not fully spending the development charge revenues it gets now, saying the city is sitting on millions of dollars in development charge reserves.
"I see that Mayor Crombie's out there handing out flyers and doing this -- all I say is get on board, stop being disingenuous, you know, with the people of Mississauga," Ford said. "It's just absolutely wrong."
Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie are seen in these images dated Aug. 15, 2022 and June 7, 2019, respectively. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld,Chris Young)
Crombie said development charges do go into reserves, but municipalities are not simply sitting on the money, rather they are treated like savings going toward future long-term projects, akin to a homeowner saving up for a new roof.
"We do not collect money we do not need, and we do not have unlimited chequing accounts," Crombie wrote.
"In fact, the funds we collect are often not enough to support new growth -- we are often short and have to use tax dollars to cover the gaps."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 7, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada, G7 urge 'all parties' to de-escalate in growing Mideast conflict
Canada called for "all parties" to de-escalate rising tensions in the Mideast following an apparent Israeli drone attack against Iran overnight.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
'It was all my savings': Ontario woman loses $15K to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
Families to receive Canada Child Benefit payment on Friday
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
Taylor Swift drops 15 new songs on double album, 'The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology'
On Friday, the pop star released her 11th album and at 2 a.m. Eastern, she released "The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology," featuring 15 additional songs.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.