Dear editor:
Alexander Evans’ letter of June 29, “Denying town, SORE legal costs sends important message,” is very revealing.
He claims to cheer for the judicial system awarding costs to discourage frivolous lawsuits, but fails to mention the utterly frivolous nature of developer Benny Marotta’s appeals to both the Conservation Review Board (which is a tribunal, not a court) and his simultaneous Superior Court challenge of the designating bylaws, which he lost, and finally abandoning his appeal, paid a combined $170,000 to the town and SORE in March 2021.
I only wish the frivolous proposals made by him and his wealthy capitalist friends providing “economic progress” to Niagara-on-the-Lake were subject to the same penalties and costs assessed by the courts, instead of the easy ride they get with the Ontario Land Tribunal.
Meanwhile, if we want good planning and protection of our individual and collective rights, I think we need more support for our local government, not less.
But maybe Mr. Evans thinks the committed volunteers on the town’s urban design and heritage committees should just rubber-stamp every proposal in the name of “economic progress” and there should be no zoning and planning for the common good and a livable, viable future for Niagara-on-the-Lake?
Bob Bader
NOTL