City design is making cities hotter. Here’s the fix: the hottest spots in cities have less than 6% vegetation cover, while the coolest spots in most cities have over 70%. Add trees everywhere to cool cities. forbes.com/sites/jamiehailst…

Does Ontario need to build on the greenbelt to ease the housing crisis? Experts - including me - say no. There are many reasons why we are not meeting our housing targets but the availability of land is not at the top of that list. * elongated and and costly approvals process * exceptionally high government fees, including HST * skilled labour shortage * high cost of construction

Can you do anything you want with land in Ontario? No, you cannot. We have rules and regulations enshrined in The Planning Act that govern how we use land. Why? Because there is a broad public interest in land use. It affects every aspect of our lives. Whether we have a home near transit or no choice but to commute for hours, whether we have access to nature or live in an asphalt hellscape, whether our air is polluted or clean. Whether farmers can exist, or are pushed out by speculators. The Planning Act governs this. When we change the rules, it must be done through an ‘open and accessible’ process. According to the Auditor General, this Government broke many of their own laws removing land from the Greenbelt to benefit a handful of their friends. Rules were broken. Accountability is required. The rest of us follow the rules - whether we like them or not. On day one of this scandal, the Premier said, “I take full responsibility.” If you rob a bank and you get caught, you don’t get to keep the loot. This government MUST, immediately recall the legislature to reinstitute the protections to these lands that were removed from the Greenbelt. That is the first step in taking responsibility. You can read The Planning Act here: ontario.ca/document/citizens…