Toronto’s Green Roofs Under Threat as Ford Government Pushes Bill 17
Sourced from Toronto Today
Viewed from street-level, concrete covers much of the downtown core, but looking down from the CN tower, Toronto’s cityscape looks a little more natural, with hundreds of green roofs dotting the skyline.
When heavy rains hit the city, these roofs help prevent floods by absorbing rainwater that would otherwise be destined for Toronto’s aging sewers, which are prone to overflowing.
But environmental advocates say new legislation from Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government will make it far less likely that future buildings are constructed with green roofs and other flood-proofing infrastructure.
The Ford government says Bill 17 will help developers pick up the pace of construction during a period of “economic uncertainty” that includes a residential building slump tied to high interest rates and low condo sales.
Among other things, Bill 17 — which has been time allocated by the government and could pass third reading by Monday evening — proposes to strip municipalities' ability to require developers to adhere to local planning rules beyond what’s demanded in Ontario’s Building Code.
“This will help standardize construction requirements and provide consistency, setting the same set of rules for everyone in Ontario, leading to faster approvals and reduced costs,” said Alexandra Sanita, a spokesperson for Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Rob Flack.
But Bryan Purcell, vice-president of policy with The Atmospheric Fund, said the bill may slow construction down — at least temporarily — while effectively killing rules that have made Toronto’s infrastructure more flood-resilient at a time of worsening climate change.
“[This] could set back green building standards in Toronto by 15 years,” said Purcell.
From the Living Architecture Monitor
