‘Pain to work with’: Vaughan councillors slam Toronto and Region Conservation Authority

Criticism comes as councillor seeks to have Ford government remove amendments to Bill 229 impacting conservation authorities

Yorkregion.com
Dec. 17
Dina Al-Shibeeb

Some Vaughan Councillors have criticized on Tuesday, Dec. 15, the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority as city staff continue formulating a memorandum of understanding with the former in response to a planning bill receiving a Royal Assent last week.

Following the passage of Bill 229 on Dec. 8, a provincial move seen as “overriding” municipal and public input on development projects, Vaughan councillors vowed to repeal it.

However, they agreed to further study the resolution to send Queen’s Park a reply that’s substantial.

Part of the bill is that authorities such as TRCA “may provide” programs and services on behalf of a municipality “situated in whole or in part within its area of jurisdiction under a memorandum of understanding, or such other agreement as may be entered into with the municipality, in respect of the programs and services.”

However, during discussion of the MOU during a City Hall meeting, some councillors expressed grievances.

Citing “no disrespect” to her two colleagues, Regional Councillors Linda Jackson and Gino Rostai, who both have a seat at the TRCA, Councillor Sandra Racco described how it has been a “real pain to work with” the public body.

“They delay with everything,” Racco said. “They don't give you the proper response. And it's just very aggravating, and it's very time consuming.”

Councillor Rosanna DeFrancesca also asked City Manager Jim Harnum why the city can't reach out for services beyond TRCA.

“Why would we entertain an MOU with the TRCA?” she questioned.

In response, Harnum dubbed the MOU as a “very high level document,” that allows Vaughan access to certain services expected from organizations such as the TRCA.

But he explained that the MOU doesn’t “lock us into” to procuring services only from the TRCA.

“I think it's important that we exercise all our options before we head in that direction, and put us in a predicament, where we don't want to be,” DeFrancesca said after describing how the TRCA needs some “competition” as they are the “sole provider” for their type of service such as how to stream valleys for example.

“And if we're paying for the services, which we are dearly, I think it's important that the taxpayer money is spent wisely.”

Meanwhile, the councillors' comments also came in part of a discussion on Councillor Marilyn Iafrate's motion to request the government of Ontario to remove proposed amendments to Bill 229.

"The City of Vaughan requests that the Government of Ontario allow for further discussions to take place regarding the amendments to the Conservations Authorities Act and the Planning Act set out in Schedule 6 to Bill 229 before proclaiming them to come into effect," reads part of the motion.

However, the motion was defeated after Councillors DeFrancesca, Tony Carella, Rostai, Mario Ferri, Linda Jackson and Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua voted against it. It found support from councillors Alan Shefman, Racco and Iafrate.

Carella, who vowed to repeal the bill during the last City Hall meeting on Dec. 8, explained why he voted against the motion.

He said that council has to be “more clever” in how it sends its message so the “government can understand the function conservation authorities” play.