Latest news with #McCreight
Ottawa Citizen
11-07-2025
- Business
- Ottawa Citizen
Deachman: City fees are squeezing small developers out of rental housing
Article content 'I don't understand why we can't have some flexibility,' she adds. 'I think everybody would be willing to discuss other options. We don't want to discourage people like (Latreille), who are very innovative, forward thinking, and who are not afraid to develop in heritage properties, who are already familiar with ByWard Market. It's just sad that all of these things that I don't really have control over are shutting him down.' Article content McCreight says he expects the recommendations from the mayor's housing task force will address some of these issues. Article content 'My understanding is that will come out soon, and there's some different ideas in there about how applications can be processed more efficiently. These are all things we're looking at.' Article content Is it too late for Latreille? On Wednesday, he received a response to an email he sent to numerous city officials outlining his situation more than three weeks ago. The note, sent by former councillor Scott Moffatt, who is now program manager of operational projects with the city's Planning, Development & Building Services department, offered cold comfort, noting that the overall percentage of Latreille's project's expenses earmarked for city fees is 'within the standard that others on the development industry see on most projects.' He too said the mayor's housing task force will be presenting recommendations to council on ways the city can assist in advancing housing, with the costs cited by Latreille being one of those issues. Article content Article content Latreille has all but stuck a fork in his project. Asked if the current system of regulations has made him an endangered species in the world of developers, he scarcely pauses before answering: 'It makes me extinct.' Article content This is the list of city-related costs provided by Latreille if he wants to develop his small-scale project: Article content A. City Costs ($615,065) 1. Site Plan Control: $77,608 2. Engineering Review: $10,000 3. Heritage Application: $9,737 4. Minor Variance: $5,209 5. Demolition Permit: $5,723 6. Building Permit: $28,000 7. Demolition Permit (Heritage Property): $3,288 8. Development Charges (four units existing, 12 units x $26,400 each with 20 per cent rebate): $316,800 9. Conservation Authority: $1,200 10. School Board Charges (EDCs): $18,000 11. Parkland Dedication (10 per cent of land value, preliminary value = $1.2m): $120,000 12. Site Plan Control Legal Agreement Fee: $7,500 13. Pre-Consultation (2): $2,000 14. Street Parking Permit: $10,000 Article content Article content B. Requested Studies/Reports ($65,500) 1. Environmental Site Assessment (Phase I): $4,000 2. Geotechnical Study (Soil Bearing): $5,000 3. Noise Impact Study: $5,000 4. Heritage Impact Assessment: $5,000 5. Urban Design Brief: $5,000 6. Tree Conservation Report/Arborist Report: $2,000 7. Servicing and Stormwater Management Report: $7,000 8. Planning Rational: $5,000 9. Grading and Drainage Plan (Included in Civil Fee): $5,000 10. Erosion and Sediment Control Plan: $3,000 11. Landscape Plan: $3,000 12. Conservation Plan (Part of Heritage Impact Assessment): $5,000 13. Plan of Survey: $5,000 14. Zoning Confirmation Report: $500 15. High-Performance Development Standard: $6,000
Miami Herald
22-06-2025
- Health
- Miami Herald
Chicago trans and LGBTQ+ community take to streets to protest gender-affirming care ban
CHICAGO - Jey McCreight underwent hormone replacement therapy and top surgery in their mid-30s to transition into a transmasculine person. They said the medical treatment helped them "live life to the fullest." "It was like my depression was magically cured after struggling with it my entire life - going to therapy, being on other medications," they said. "Gender-affirming care is what made me happy." When the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors on Wednesday, McCreight said they were unsurprised, but sad and angry nonetheless. McCreight, 37, joined about 200 others who braved the Saturday afternoon heat to protest the court's decision in U.S. v. Skrmetti. Demonstrators started the 12:30 p.m. rally in Federal Plaza in the Loop to the tunes of Chappell Roan's "Pink Pony Club" and Nipsey Hussle's "FDT" from loudspeakers. Under the blistering sun, protesters demanded equal rights for trans and gender-nonconforming people. They pointed to the importance of gender-affirming care in helping trans youth who face higher rates of mental health issues, including depression and suicide. "We need to show up for our youth," said Asher McMaher, executive director of Trans Up Front Illinois and one of the protest's organizers. "Because they deserve to be the incredible human beings that they're meant to be, and we need every single one of them to grow up." Advocates blasted the court's decision in the Skrmetti case, where families and a doctor challenged Tennessee's ban on puberty blockers and hormones to help minors transition. They argued the law deprived them of their constitutional right to equal protection under the law, but the state contended it was necessary to protect children. For Keerthi Nan, a trans Chicago schoolteacher, the decision "further dehumanized" young trans and gender-diverse people. "It sucks to be a trans adult right now," Nan told the crowd. "But it is so much harder, so much scarier, to be a trans kid, a trans adolescent in this moment." Nan added that though Illinois and Chicago appear to be safe places for trans youth, they still hear Chicago Public School students calling their peers slurs for gay and trans people. They called on protesters to raise continued attention for trans rights. "Show up to the school board meeting," she said. "Show up when people aren't watching. Fight like our students' futures depend on it because they do." State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, a Democrat and the only openly lesbian member of the Illinois House, also called for more action from the broader LGBTQ+ community. She said not only were trans rights and abortion rights at risk - other liberties for LGBTQ+ people could also be in danger. "You don't get to take your wedding cake and go home, boys," Kelly said. "They are not just coming for trans kids." At the rally, the parents of trans children stressed the importance of accepting their kids for their identities. Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, who has two children who have received gender-affirming care, said letting his kids lead their treatment in consultation with medical professionals wasn't "hard" nor "emotionally complicated." "At no moment in that process did it make a bit of sense for a politician to insert themselves," he said. After speeches from trans and LGBTQ+ rights' advocates and local politicians, protesters marched for about a half hour, circling downtown, from Dearborn Street to Michigan Avenue and Adams Street to Washington Street. The crowd chanted slogans including "Health care is a human right" and "Trans rights are human rights" for about half an hour as it moved. Onlookers on the sidewalks stopped to cheer, clap and record the march. McCreight said they felt "reinvigorated" by the event. "You're seeing your rights being stripped away and wondering, 'Am I going to lose access to my health care next as an adult, the thing that I know has literally saved my life?'" they said. "But I come out here and I know that people aren't going to give up, and honestly, I feel like we're going to eventually win." Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Chicago Tribune
21-06-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Trans and LGBTQ+ community take to streets to protest gender-affirming care ban
Jey McCreight underwent hormone replacement therapy and top surgery in their mid-30s to transition into a transmasculine person. They said the medical treatment helped them 'live life to the fullest.' 'It was like my depression was magically cured after struggling with it my entire life — going to therapy, being on other medications,' they said. 'Gender-affirming care is what made me happy.' When the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors on Wednesday, McCreight said they were unsurprised, but sad and angry nonetheless. McCreight, 37, joined about 200 others who braved the Saturday afternoon heat to protest the court's decision in U.S. v. Skrmetti. Demonstrators started the 12:30 p.m. rally in Federal Plaza in the Loop to the tunes of Chappell Roan's 'Pink Pony Club' and Nipsey Hussle's 'FDT' from loudspeakers. Under the blistering sun, protesters demanded equal rights for trans and gender-nonconforming people. They pointed to the importance of gender-affirming care in helping trans youth who face higher rates of mental health issues, including depression and suicide. 'We need to show up for our youth,' said Asher McMaher, executive director of Trans Up Front Illinois and one of the protest's organizers. 'Because they deserve to be the incredible human beings that they're meant to be, and we need every single one of them to grow up.' Advocates blasted the court's decision in the Skrmetti case, where families and a doctor challenged Tennessee's ban on puberty blockers and hormones to help minors transition. They argued the law deprived them of their constitutional right to equal protection under the law, but the state contended it was necessary to protect children. For Keerthi Nan, a trans Chicago schoolteacher, the decision 'further dehumanized' young trans and gender-diverse people. 'It sucks to be a trans adult right now,' Nan told the crowd. 'But it is so much harder, so much scarier, to be a trans kid, a trans adolescent in this moment.' Nan added that though Illinois and Chicago appear to be safe places for trans youth, they still hear Chicago Public School students calling their peers slurs for gay and trans people. They called on protesters to raise continued attention for trans rights. 'Show up to the school board meeting,' she said. 'Show up when people aren't watching. Fight like our students' futures depend on it because they do.' State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, the only openly lesbian member of the Illinois House, also called for more action from the broader LGBTQ+ community. She said not only were trans rights and abortion rights at risk — other liberties for LGBTQ+ people could also be in danger. 'You don't get to take your wedding cake and go home, boys,' Kelly said. 'They are not just coming for trans kids.' At the rally, the parents of trans children stressed the importance of accepting their kids for their identities. Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, who has two children who have received gender-affirming care, said letting his kids lead their treatment in consultation with medical professionals wasn't 'hard' nor 'emotionally complicated.' 'At no moment in that process did it make a bit of sense for a politician to insert themselves,' he said. After speeches from trans and LGBTQ+ rights' advocates and local politicians, protesters marched for about a half hour, circling downtown, from Dearborn Street to Michigan Avenue and Adams Street to Washington Street. The crowd chanted slogans including 'Health care is a human right' and 'Trans rights are human rights' for about half an hour as it moved. Onlookers on the sidewalks stopped to cheer, clap and record the march. McCreight said they felt 'reinvigorated' by the event. 'You're seeing your rights being stripped away and wondering, 'Am I going to lose access to my health care next as an adult, the thing that I know has literally saved my life?'' they said. 'But I come out here and I know that people aren't going to give up, and honestly, I feel like we're going to eventually win.'
