Rapid Population Growth In Ontario Has Urged The State To ‘Get Ahead’ Of Impending Population Boom

An advancement has been made regarding Queen’s Park’s growth strategy. However, criticism has arisen as some individuals are asking where the money is to back up the changes.

Over the next 20 years, over 3.5 million people are estimated to be added to the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

There is a rapid population growth within Ontario’s borders which the city is quite aware of, as it was apparent in 2005 where it was signaled in the Places of Growth Plan in an attempt to control this population growth. Moreover, the province has implemented new laws in order to help metropolises control the rapid population growth.

However, critics are raising some questions about how the government will be able to back up the change. One can understand why such questions are being asked because the government would need billions of dollars to implement such a change.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, who sat down with the Star recently in an interview and said “With the growing population, things will get worse, not better, if we don’t get ahead of the curve,”

Andrea went on further to emphasize on the fact that the gap between growth-related infrastructure, particularly in societies with a high populous should be bridged.

“I’m not in government, I’m in opposition,” Horwath said. “So we get up and we try to flag these concerns and issues for the government. But we don’t see a real, coordinated approach. In fact, what we see is more of a reactionary approach, almost like they’re putting out fires when they can.”

“But their overall vision is not about the future — I’m sorry, but I’m going to be honest with you — it’s about dollars and deficits, not about the well-being of people, not about meeting the population pressures,” Andrea added.

“Provincial assumptions about growth are not keeping up to date with ‘on the ground experience” the report says,  “There is no provincial strategy for economic development — especially not for (the) GTA.”