REFLECTION 2022: Reporter looks back at first year covering Vaughan

Yorkregion.com
Jan. 3, 2023

New to York Region and still an early career journalist, I’ve learned a lot.

One of the biggest stories I worked on in 2022 was a story about a group of residents in Woodbridge who pushed back against a developer.

This story assisted in my growth as a reporter learning the ins and outs of municipal politics. There was a bit of a learning curve, but it helped me familiarize myself with not only the Ontario Planning Act but also other provincial legislation that is seemingly becoming more important as we head into another four years of a Ford-led government.

Despite a poor voter turnout in the recent municipal election, in interviews with residents I’ve found them to be educated and engaged about civic issues. Residents across the GTA appear to be getting more frustrated about what could be seen as a deterioration of democratic processes that keep governments honest. Just look at how many local residents have shown -- through protests and other means -- their opposition to the proposed Highway 413 and the province’s plan to open the Greenbelt to housing. People are passionate.

They just need something to be excited about. Too often it feels like their input is being reduced with less public consultation and their time and energy is less valuable.

Key take-aways from working on this story and others like it were learning about how the government introduces amendments to their official plans and how developers can often shift the balance of power in their favour.

A lot has been written recently about the provincial Progressive Conservative party’s ties to developers in Vaughan and elsewhere. Lobbying records have revealed connections between the party and five of the landowners who will benefit most from the government’s proposed changes to the Greenbelt.

What I got from working on this story is that citizens want to be informed. Part of the issue that the Woodbridge residents of the “hamlet of Pine Grove” had, was that they were not given sufficient notice about changes to their neighbourhood. And that’s a big deal.

Change often isn’t easy. An erosion of the importance of municipal politics is bad for everyone. It’s bad for a reporter learning the ropes of keeping government accountable, it’s bad for residents having trust in elected officials and adequate representation, and it’s bad for democracy.

Elected city councillors are often the most accessible politicians. Getting involved in local politics is a good way to learn about systemic issues.

I think this quote from Franca Porretta, one of the key Pine Grove organizers, demonstrates how many feel a democratic right is being stripped away.

“It is a democratic society. We know everybody needs to make money. Can we just take into consideration what this one kilometre stretch of road can sustain and what the community is saying is important to them?” said Porretta.

I also remember the reaction to the piece online. People called the residents NIMBYs and that made me a little frustrated.

For those unaware, NIMBY standing for Not-In-My-Back-Yard, has become a pejorative term for residents who are willing to fight against development. It has a negative connotation to imply a well-to-do person fighting against infrastructural needs.

The province has used this perception to leverage their wants. They’ve introduced legislation to build houses faster and “reduce red tape.” But in doing so, they have gotten rid of some of the checks and balances in place, such as development fees that would go to parkland.

For a lot of people that didn’t sit well. I think that that’s why this story resonated with me. It was difficult. But ultimately, it helped me learn more about Vaughan and what is important to its people.

To write this story well, I needed to include a lot of additional context. This included reading up on legal information such as bylaws, and reports such as the 2022 Housing Affordability report put out by the province.

Looking to the new year, housing will be a key concern. I just hope that I do it justice.