By Susan Layard
In May, 2022, the agreement between Southbridge and the Municipality, in which the Municipality agreed to remove the Notice of Intent to Designate the property, expired. ACO Port Hope then began to advocate again for the designation of 65 Ward Street, and on June 21, 2022, the property was formally designated by the Port Hope Council. Since then, ACO Port Hope Advocacy has been working to find interested parties, should the 65 Ward Street property become available for sale.
Unfortunately, on March 20, 2023, we were informed that the Minister of Long Term Care has requested that the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing issue a Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO) to allow Southbridge to build the 7-storey facility as they originally proposed. The MZO overrides local planning authority at the municipal level. The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing is now investigating, and ACO Port Hope and other community groups are currently mounting campaigns against this MZO.