On Wednesday, the Province introduced legislation that happens to coincide with a motion about parking I will be tabling at council next week. Through Bill 185, the Ontario government seeks to lower costs for homes near transit. For example, it introduces new provisions to the Planning Act which limit the ability of official plans and zoning by-laws to require that an owner provide parking facilities in Protected Major Transit Station Areas and areas around transit stations, effectively letting the market decide the number of parking spaces required near major transit stations. I believe this is a bold direction that I am hopeful Council will support. It is clear that this is a provincial priority to unlock housing affordability. To be clear, this does not mean condos will be built without parking. People will still need cars. What it does mean, is that the market will determine the requirement for parking. Each development application will need to consider the need for parking within its proximity to transit. Metrolinx has already publicly stated that 2-way train service will be coming to the Stouffville line in the future. Read more about that here. This one service change will have an incredible impact on our community and reduce the requirement for some to have a car. As the regional vice-chair of transportation, I can confirm that York Region Transit has also said that as our community grows upwards, more resources will be required to service our community. This means expanded bus service in Stouffville. Equally important, for any new development in these corridors, providing car sharing, e-bikes, e-scooters, and micro-mobility vehicles as an alternative to car ownership will be required. 
