Mike Schreiner can’t understand why more land is needed to build the province’s goal of 1.5 million new homes.
“We already have enough land approved for development right now (to build that amount),” the province’s Green Party Leader told MidlandToday during a visit to the Simcoe North riding Friday afternoon.
Schreiner, who is also Guelph's MPP, met with local party officials and supporters gathered at Midland’s Test Batches Brewery before heading to the Orillia Fall Fair to meet with locals to hear directly from them what they view as important issues.
And the answers he received here are similar to what he’s heard elsewhere.
“The sorry state of the health care and housing affordability,” he said, noting some told him they love living in north Simcoe, but worry they won’t find anywhere to live if they sell their home to downsize.
“There are a lot of seniors that like living here, but there’s nothing available.”
While Schreiner said he understands the need to build more homes, he supports a plan of “gentle density,” which involves building townhouses, row houses, triplexes and four-plexes rather than large-scale “McMansions” that might house two people.
“(Premier) Doug Ford seems to have more interest in helping wealthy people,” said Schreiner, who noted municipalities are often so keen to get homes built and please developers that they may ignore the environment while also waiving development fees.
He says moving towards the gentle density concept is an easier fix than what is being proposed by the provincial government to increase the housing supply with minimal impact on existing communities.
“It’s the fastest way we can increase housing,” Schreiner said, noting the plan would protect municipal assets like parks, greenspace and environmentally sensitive areas from development.
“There are a lot of options you can do.”
In Midland, for example, he pointed to a four-storey building at the corner of Hugel and Midland avenues that he said could easily be turned into a six-storey edifice without affecting the look and feel of the downtown area.
And when asked about the many farms now for sale in their area with real estate agents boasting that the property has 100 or so acres, Schreiner said it’s dangerous for the province not to protect agricultural land throughout Ontario, especially since it’s often cheaper for developers to buy and might seem like easy pickings since it’s already cleared.
“Only five percent of Ontario land is suitable for farming,” he said. “Growing food contributes over $50 billion to the economy and employs 850,000 people.”
Schreiner said he’s also disturbed by what has become a major issue in the province and doesn’t seem to be being addressed. That is health care and lack of access to services.
“The premier is taking rural ridings for granted because they often vote Conservative,” Schreiner says, noting that is very true of Simcoe North, which he added has seen healthcare-related closures and long waits in emergency rooms.
From here, Schreiner plans to head to Parry Sound and then onto Muskoka.
At the interview's end, Schreiner also delved into what some see as Ford's bizarre plan to create a 60-kilometre tunnel that would help motorists circumvent Toronto.
He joked: “Can you imagine being stuck in that?”
