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Hamilton Spectator
05-05-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
‘The city is aware': Tree removals at Burlington golf club approved for redevelopment being investigated
Tree clearing on sections of Millcroft Golf Club, apparently in preparation for upcoming construction of 90 new homes, is the subject of two ongoing investigations. The City of Burlington's forestry department is investigating, and was on site Thursday, May 1. Environment and Climate Change Canada is also investigating for contraventions of the Migratory Birds Convention Act. Representatives of the Millcroft Greens development did not respond by deadline to requests for comment. 'The city is aware of the cutting down of trees on those portions of the Millcroft Golf Course that have been approved for redevelopment by the Ontario Land Tribunal,' city staff said in a statement issued Friday afternoon. 'The city is investigating this activity and as such, no further comment can be provided at this time.' City staff did not answer questions by deadline Monday around whether any necessary conditions had been met, and required permits issued, for tree clearing. A spokesperson reissued the statement released Friday afternoon. 'There isn't any more that we can say on this matter at this time,' they said. Environment and Climate Change Canada spokesperson Samuel Lafontaine confirmed enforcement officers from the federal department collected information during an inspection in the area of 2155 Country Club Dr. in Burlington. 'This information is currently being reviewed to determine whether there has been any noncompliance with the Migratory Birds Convention Act and the Migratory Birds Regulations,' Lafontaine said. He noted the Act does not protect trees themselves, but 'prohibits the disturbance or destruction of migratory birds, their nests, and eggs.' Lafontaine said the department will continue to follow the situation closely. 'If evidence of an alleged violation is found, enforcement officers will take appropriate action in accordance with the compliance and enforcement policy for wildlife legislation,' he said. Following investigations, enforcement officers can take no action, issue a warning, issue a ticket, or 'recommend prosecution when evidence indicates that the nature of a violation is serious.' Spokesperson Hannah Boonstra said, under the Migratory Birds Convention Act and Migratory Birds Regulations, migratory birds are protected at all times and their nests are protected when they contain a live bird or a viable egg. Sonia Robinson of Millcroft Against Bad Development said at least 400 trees, all over 40 years old, were removed — including several on the seventh hole fairway behind her house. The front nine holes at Millcroft Golf Club are closed, and not expected to reopen before 2027. Robinson said trees were also removed on holes 1, 6 and 16. 'We are at a deficit of green space in Burlington and need this green space for future generations,' Robinson stated in an email on behalf of the organization. 'The majority of the golf course is flood plain and acts as storm water control.' Millcroft Against Bad Development held a rally opposing the planned development on April 26, after preparation of the site for future development started. Burlington city council passed a resolution last summer asking Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob Flack to issue an order maintaining open space zoning in the planned Millcroft Greens development, after a June 12 Ontario Land Tribunal decision approving official plan and zoning amendments for the development. The OLT decision allowed official plan and zoning amendments permitting proposed redevelopment of open space on five parts of the golf course for 90 single-detached homes and a 130-unit building. The city's resolution states the golf course weaves among houses and functions 'as a natural storm water conveyance on a floodplain.' The minister's office did not respond to requests for comment by deadline. Details and updates on the Millcroft Greens development can be found on the city's project webpage .
CBC
01-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Willowdale housing project for homeless seniors underway after years of community pushback, delays
Social Sharing After years of delays, rising costs and local backlash, a supportive housing development intended to fast-track seniors out of homelessness is underway in Toronto's Willowdale neighbourhood. A planned three-storey modular building on Cummer Avenue is now scheduled to open by early next year, the city says, four years after the city's Planning and Housing Committee unanimously approved a plan to quickly build modular housing on the city-owned property. Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow spoke with reporters at an announcement in Willowdale Thursday, saying the project will get 59 seniors off the streets, helping them live independently and age in place. "It will be a home for a whole lot of seniors that have had mental health issues and have addiction issues," she said. "It's an important day." The building will offer 59 supportive housing units, all studio apartments, with rent geared to income, Chow said. Non-profit WoodGreen Community Services will manage the building and provide wraparound supports for tenants. "I hear the hammering in the background. This is a sound of joy, because we've waited for so long," Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow told reporters at the development. But the lead-up to Thursday's announcement wasn't filled with much joy. Local resistance leads to years of delays The project immediately met with resistance when it was announced in 2021, as part of a modular housing program launched the year before in response to the city's housing shortage and the COVID-19 pandemic. Modular housing is made up of factory-built, modular sections that allow it to be constructed and, ideally, opened very quickly. But the province refused a city request to speed up the development's planning approval timeline to get the units in place before the winter of 2021-2022. A community group also opposed the development from the beginning, ultimately filing an unsuccessful appeal with the Ontario Land Tribunal. The group had argued the modular homes would fundamentally change the character of the neighbourhood, and make it harder for residents or visitors of Willowdale Manor to find parking and enjoy local green space. They also worried about security at the site and said the city hadn't properly consulted locals. Delays followed, which Chow says cost the city millions, as the pre-fabricated components of the building had to be stored for years, raising the total price tag to $36.2 million. Lawyer Eric Gillespie, who represented the community group in the appeal, says his clients were never opposed to building supportive housing in the area. They just wanted to ensure it was for seniors, after the city initially said the project was for people exiting homelessness, and did not designate it for seniors specifically. The group thought that housing for seniors would be a better fit for the location, Gillespie said, with a seniors housing complex already next door and a long-term care facility nearby. "But now that the city is saying, 'Oh, it'll be fine for seniors and older residents,'" Gillespie said. "It sure would have been helpful to just say that a long time ago." Willowdale Coun. Lily Cheng told reporters Thursday that "it was difficult for the city to provide that assurance earlier in the process." Advocate calls pushback 'high-octane NIMBYism' But one advocate says it's not that simple. "This was a case where a lot of money was thrown at blocking this. This is high-octane NIMBYism," said Mark Richardson, technical lead of HousingNowTO. "Now, thankfully, all of those avenues of appeal have now been exhausted," he said. "But the money that they wasted on locking or fighting this project would be much better spent as a donation to a local shelter or food bank." When compared with other similar projects, he says there's no reason the site shouldn't already be open. Four other modular housing initiatives the city announced in 2020 and 2021 have been completed for years now, according to the city's website, providing a total of 216 homes. Cheng said Thursday the delays and cost escalations were unfortunate, but the city needed the community's trust to proceed. In the face of community opposition, Cheng previously introduced a motion to city council to explore other sites for the project. But with the original location now finally under construction, Chow says the city still needs an additional 26,000 supportive housing units. "We're only building 50 to 60 today," Chow said. "We need a lot more so that those seniors that are right now lining up on food banks … that they would have a place to live."
