City of Mississauga rejects applications for 2 residential towers because proposed buildings are too tall
CBC
The City of Mississauga rejected applications for two residential towers in Port Credit steps from two major transit stations this month, saying the buildings proposed were too tall.
But the province of Ontario says the city can no longer make this type of decision due to municipal planning changes the province brought into play in late 2022.
In November, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing approved a Peel Region official plan, which a ministry spokesperson told CBC Toronto "removed the discretion of lower-tier municipalities to establish maximum heights within major transit station areas."
The minister also wrote a letter to the Peel Regional Council using similar language in February.
This hasn't stopped Mississauga — a lower-tier municipality — from going ahead with rejecting recent applications that don't conform to its own plan, including applications for several tall buildings on transit routes.
City planning staff recommended Mississauga's Planning and Development committee reject the Port Credit 40 and 42-storey development proposed for 88 Park St. East — a site which is next to a GO station and LRT station under construction — saying to conform to the city's plan the height in the area should top out at just over half of what is being proposed.
Resident Jonathan Giggs, asked during the March planning meeting if the city could still set their own height limits given new provincial rules around major transit areas.
Councillors and city staff now say they are currently seeking clarity from the province on the issue, with some councillors expressing concern about what losing the right to make height restrictions would mean for city planning.
Planning and Development Committee Chair Dipika Damerla calls the situation a "grey area."
She says while Mississauga has an official plan of its own, areas within Mississauga, such as Port Credit, also have plans which limit height.
Ward 1 councillor, Steven Dasko, says his ward is already hitting minimum density targets and the development "doesn't fit the neighborhood."
He says it doesn't fit into the local area plan and anything above what this plan indicates would be "reckless" and "highly inappropriate."
"There's prescribed heights and densities in place for a reason," he said.
Damerla says it would be difficult for the city to plan for schools and other infrastructure needs without having height limits near transit.
A provincial court judge has issued a stern warning to the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary to “rethink their approach” when it comes to dealing with complaints of threats and harassment in intimate partner relationships.
Some provincial funding targeted to struggling rural hospitals in the northeast is a boon but some CEO’s say it falls short of keeping them afloat.
A Ukrainian family in Halifax says the federal government needs to provide answers to the thousands of Ukrainians who are now learning that it could be more than 50 years before their permanent residency applications are processed.
On a cold January morning, the owners of Yassou Souvlaki & Donair in Fredericton are busy heating up the kitchen, slicing vegetables and donair meat to prepare for their lunch-hour crowd.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada and the CN Police Service are investigating following a train collision overnight in Saint-Alexandre-de-Kamouraska, Que.
Six months after being displaced to a long-term care facility hundreds of kilometres away from his family, Jimmy Spence is holding out hope his days as an evacuee are numbered.
Saskatchewan women ages 43 and older can now sign up for mammogram screening without a doctor’s referral as part of a phased approach to get the eligibility age down to 40 by June.
Some schools, health centres and provincial civil service offices delayed opening or closed for the day on Monday due to weather conditions.
As a seasonal parking ban comes into effect on Edmonton’s residential roads this week, one councillor is concerned about how the city’s failure to fund towing teams will play out on city streets.
Students in B.C.’s biggest districts are missing significantly more school in recent years, with absences having tripled in some places, an exclusive CBC News analysis has found.
An Essex resident has been charged following a dog attack in town.
Charles Snell says he recognizes the need for more housing to be built in Thunder Bay, Ont., but that it shouldn’t come at the cost of losing green space.
Last year, Toronto had the fewest traffic-related deaths it’s recorded in a decade, just as a major road safety program has been removed from the city.