As architects, designers and city builders, we spend our days thinking about the systems that make cities work: how a tree canopy cools a sidewalk; how a cycling route can be safe and continuous; how a building can stay habitable during extreme weather; how green roofs and landscapes can bring beauty while protecting biodiversity and manage stormwater. These are not luxuries or abstract design ideals. They are the foundational elements of livable, resilient communities and they rely on clear, coordinated municipal standards to deliver them consistently.

Today, those standards face unprecedented uncertainty. The province’s unilateral repeal of the Green Roof Bylaw demonstrates how quickly long-standing environmental protections can vanish without public consultation. With the passing of Bill 60 questions have emerged about whether Ontario municipalities can continue enforcing requirements that shape people’s daily experiences of the city, from the comfort of their homes to the safety of their neighbourhoods. If these standards become voluntary, we risk eroding the quality of our city spaces just when we need it most. This is not a political argument; it is a professional one. Municipal green development standards exist because they are practical, measurable and effective.

Ontario is undeniably facing housing challenges. Speed alone will not deliver the communities people want to live in. The qualities that make neighbourhoods desirable – beautiful mature trees, walkable destinations, safe bicycle routes, vibrant public spaces – are the outcomes of decades of thoughtful planning supported by consistent frameworks.