Concerned citizens braved the cold wind Saturday afternoon in front of Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MPP Doug Downey’s constituency office on Bell Farm Road in Barrie to protest what they believe is an injustice by Premier Doug Ford’s government.
They feel that the province’s More Homes Built Faster Act — otherwise known as Bill 23 — will gobble up and destroy environmentally sensitive land.
About 50 people took to the corner of Bell Farm Road and St. Vincent Street to wave banners at passing motorists as they tried to raise awareness of their concerns around the proposed legislation.
Margaret Prophet, executive director of the Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition, led the disgruntled group at the event and was clear in her intentions.
“We are here to let Doug Downey know and his boss, Premier Ford, know that we want housing, but we don’t want our wetlands and our Greenbelt destroyed because of it. There is more than enough land to accommodate the housing that we are going to need, and this is just a big gift to developers and we’re not going to take it,” she told BarrieToday.
“People want to live close to where they work and close to services. These places that clean our air and provide water and grow our food are not replaceable places, so to pretend that this is about housing, just to open up sacred places, to give developers a gift, is just atrocious.”
The group did not expect anyone to be present inside Downey’s office during the rally, and no one appeared to be there.
“Dec. 4 is the deadline for public opinion with the Greenbelt, and Bill 23 could be passed any day now, so we are going to make as much noise as we can until Ford changes his mind,” Prophet said.
The group has received no response to emails and other communications on the subject, according to Prophet, and she feels no one in government is listening to their concerns.
“To be completely honest, it doesn’t feel like our democracy is working right now,” she said. “I have two kids and I worry about the places that we are leaving for them. I want them to be able to afford a home, I want them to live in a community that they choose, so I want housing to come to Barrie and Orillia. It’s ridiculous to think that we have to sacrifice one for the other.”
Is there a balance between protecting sensitive areas and building housing the province is desperately in need of?
“Build houses where the roads and services and doctors and jobs already exist. Tell me who is going to want to live out in the middle of a wetland? That’s not what people want,” answered Prophet.
Elizabeth Dunn, another protester with the group, wanted to be active in supporting a cause she believes in.
“I’m feeling like I can be part of a solution, hopefully. You can’t just sit on your couch and complain. You have to make the powers that be listen to you, and a large part of Bill 23 is an erosion of our democracy,” she said. “It’s taking away the power of the public to say we don’t want that in our backyard. It’s taking away the power of our conservation authorities to say no, we need to save these spaces. I am concerned for what is going to happen for my grandson.”
There are seven rallies planned, and this is the third one. Others are slated for Orillia, Midland, south Barrie, and Holland Landing.
