Democracy Caledon has filed a lawsuit against the township of Caledon over 5,000 acres of farmland the province added for housing development.
Mayor Annette Groves said the township will vigorously defend itself.
The lawsuit cites 12 zoning bylaws passed this summer to fast-track housing developments.
Democracy Caledon filed the notice of application in the Ontario Court of Justice Dec. 5, arguing council’s approval of the zoning bylaws doesn’t conform to the official plans of Caledon and Peel Region and can be quashed for illegality under Section 273 of the Municipal Act.
In a news release Tuesday, the town countered that the bylaws were enacted “in accordance with the provincial legislation and in keeping with all procedural requirements of both the Planning Act and the Municipal Act.”
The bylaws would rezone 5,000 acres of land, leapfrogging several steps in the planning process to build 35,000 new housing units.
Democracy Caledon said the rezonings threaten farmland, the Greenbelt and ratepayers’ tax bills.
Caledon Mayor Annette Groves said the residents’ group is using “inaccurate and misleading information” to raise fears in the community.
She said “our solicitors have advised that this lawsuit is completely without merit, and the town will be vigorously defending it.”
The town said that all lands addressed by the 12 zoning bylaws sit within Caledon’s urban boundary or are adjacent to an existing settlement area.
