Dear editor:

Technically, councillor Maria Malvadis may be correct (“Council’s million-dollar mistake,” Dec. 18, 2025).

The NOTL council which came to office in 2018 likely erred when it enacted two interim control bylaws with the intent of temporarily halting development in the town.

I say “may” because the Ontario Superior Court and the Ontario appeals court differed in their rulings on the case, and the NOTL council elected in 2022 chose not to pursue the matter further.

The new council may have made the right decision from a legal perspective.

It’s possible that the likelihood of a successful outcome for the town in court was negligible, and that it made sense from a financial perspective to reach a settlement with Hummel Properties. I’m not a lawyer, and I am not fully aware of the ins and outs of the case.

But I do know this: the 2018-2022 NOTL council consistently strove to protect the natural and built heritage of Old Town, from our tree canopy and green spaces to our historic buildings and streetscapes.

It said no to unacceptable development proposals, didn’t hesitate to defend its decisions at the Ontario Land Tribunal or in court and took residents’ concerns into consideration in its decision-making.

The lord mayor and councillors actually tried to live up to the promises they made during the election campaign. Bravo.

Contrast that to NOTL’s current council, which seems more concerned about avoiding legal bills than it is about preserving our town’s heritage.

A council that did virtually nothing to stop a developer from beginning a major excavation at a building site, despite the fact that the developer did not have a permit to undertake the work.

A council that encouraged its regional counterpart to waive a significant portion of the development fees associated with that site, at the request of the developer, effectively passing them onto taxpayers.

A council that appears to have been bullied into approving the construction of a new theatre project that will have devastating impacts on NOTL’s heritage district.

And the list goes on, and on.

I know which council I’d rather have representing my interests.

Terry Davis
Old Town