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Home » Small Urban GTHA Mayors Group Forms to Discuss, Respond to Issues Affecting their Communities — COVID-19, Broadband & the Greenbelt

Small Urban GTHA Mayors Group Forms to Discuss, Respond to Issues Affecting their Communities — COVID-19, Broadband & the Greenbelt

*Please see below a media statement from the Small Urban GTHA Mayors Statement (or click the link).

NOTE FROM MAYOR MEED WARD: It’s so great to see small urban Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area (GTHA) Mayors coming together, including my Halton colleague Halton Hills Mayor Rick Bonnette, as the Small Urban GTHA Mayors (formerly the GTA Countryside Mayors) to share information about COVID-19, rural broadband and the Greenbelt. In the newly-formed group’s first statement, they’ve raised concerns about Schedule 6 in Bill 229, which gives the Province the ability to issue any permits directly to applicants, including in environmentally-sensitive protected lands and wetlands.

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For Immediate Release
December 8, 2020

Today the Small Urban GTHA Mayors met for the first time to discuss several issues affecting each of our communities from Covid-19, pandemic recovery to the removal of Schedule 6 within Bill 229.

Section 6 within Bill 229 is being considered in the legislature today without any consultation with Conservation Authorities or Heads of Council.

If passed, the Province will have the ability to issue any permits directly to applicants that could threaten environmentally sensitive protected lands and wetlands.

Conservation Authorities are in place to assess development applications on a case by case basis using scientific measures that will positively impact and protect our naturally sensitive areas.

We are calling on the Province to immediately remove Section 6 of Bill 229 and instead, begin a dialogue and consultation with Heads of Council, and Conservation Authorities on issues and concerns impacting our communities across the Province. Open consultation and dialogue between our levels of government have proved to be a valuable exercise to reach our mutually common goals in the past and we believe the contents of Section 6 are significant and require more consultation.

Moving forward The Small Urban GTHA Mayors will be meeting on a regular basis to discuss and respond to issues affecting our communities as a collective including Protect, Support and Recover from COVID-19, broadband, and the greenbelt.

It is imperative that our voices are heard by all levels of government in order to best serve our residents and protect our communities.

Contact:
Mayor Tom Mrakas
tmrakas@aurora.ca
Interim Chair
Small Urban GTHA Mayors

About the Small Urban GTHA Mayors:

The Small Urban GTHA Mayors includes: The Town of Aurora; Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury; Town of Caledon; Town of East Gwillimbury; Town of Georgina; Town of Halton Hills; Township of King; Town of Newmarket; Town of Orangeville; Township of Scugog; Township of Uxbridge; and Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville.

RELATED LINKS:

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*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor’s Media and Digital Communications Specialist

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