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In the News Brian Miller's letter to the editor in the Feb 21st edition of the Oakville Beaver Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn is quoted in Angela Blackburn's article on the just-released OMB decision to allow the moving of Gendella house as part of the proposed Bronte Quadrangle development calling the OMB decision "instructive and alarming". It would appear Mr. Flynn seeks to blame the previous government as well as town and regional staff and politicians (many his former colleagues on Town and Regional council) for the OMB decision. What is really "instructive and alarming" is the lack of appropriate action on OMB reform by not only Mr. Flynn's government but by Mr. Flynn personally. It is fair to say the old OMB system under the previous Tory government was not working and urgently required significant reform. The Liberals, however, took over two years to pass the current reforms and even then did not go far enough in protecting local communities from rampant redevelopment. Would the new rules have made a difference in this instance? We will never know. We might have known though had the government exercised the discretion it appears to have in the new legislation that permits it to apply the new rules vs. the old rules in appropriate circumstances. So please, Mr. Flynn, do not blame the previous government for this problem -- you need only look in the mirror to see another broken promise by your government. As to Mr. Flynn's contention, that the failings of town and regional staff and, by implication, the politicians who directed them, have resulted in incomplete official plans, again he need only look in the mirror. Accordingly, it is instructive to look at another OMB decision the town lost -- the Shell House decision. Mr. Flynn, personally, helped to create the mess in the first place by signing off on the 300 unit dedication on the Shell House property with virtually no public input when he was the Ward 1 local and regional councilor. Laurie McGinn (BVRA past president) and I met personally with Mr. Flynn during the appeal process to ask him to explore any avenues his government might have that could help Oakville preserve the last significant lakefront woodlot in the GTA. We didn't hear anything back. Considering Mr. Flynn lives in the heart of Bronte it is sad indeed his only action on these two disastrous OMB decisions is an attempt to score cheap political points at the expense of the previous government and his former town and regional colleagues. Brian Miller Mary Cassidy's letter to the editor in the Feb 7 th edition of the Oakville Beaver A new set of signs went up this afternoon on the Shell House Lands in Bronte on Lakeshore Road, quite different from the ones in 2003 which alerted areas residents to the official plan amendment application the developer was making to build 1,000 units of high rise condos, yet these new ones are no less disturbing. They are advertising the soon to be constructed, massive 8 story, 300 unit building and yet depict a serene and verdant lake view with a formidable tree perched at water's edge. Quite fetching! And supremely ironic that the developer would choose as advertising the exact image of what their high-density housing will destroy forever. I guess the billboard does offer a ray of hope -- There is indeed one tree left standing on the waterfront in the idyllic lifestyle picture! Let's hope that after the multi-year construction project, complete with multi-story underground parking and 8 floors above ground, one of the venerable 200+ year old heritage trees currently on the site actually survives the invasion. I'd hate to think there was no truth in advertising any more. Mary Cassidy |
