Ontario government worries about safety of new off-grid communities
The Government of Ontario has apparently been taking a closer look lately at off-grid communities that residents are increasingly turning to in an effort to escape the exorbitant cost of housing and life in general in cities like Toronto.
Located in remote regions further north, the locales offer an alternative way of life, advertising the chance to have a place of your own for just a small fraction of the price of the average home in the province.
The model used by at least one group forging the way, Boreal Forest Medieval Villages, entails residents buying land as a group and then leasing it back to themselves on 20-year renewable (and transferable) terms.
People are fleeing Toronto home prices to cheap off-grid communities in Ontario’s north https://t.co/OzqYd6ZbU1 #Toronto #Ontario #RealEstate
— blogTO (@blogTO) November 23, 2022
Though the ethos of collectives such as Boreal is to be as eco-friendly as possible — with a plan to use solar panels, compost toilets and the like — some locals have expressed concern about the impact such unincorporated communities can have on the environment, as well as neighbouring towns.
This is why the province stepped in at the end of 2022 to notify those buildings in these areas that they must be able to prove they’re adhering to all applicable regulations for things like sewage disposal, water use, and construction on properties that are not part of a municipality with its own bylaws.
Ontario inspectors paid visits to some of these sites to monitor development in November, noting in a statement to the CBC that the government is still concerned about such off-grid communities due to “the potential for them to be unsafe for the inhabitants and place significant pressure on neighbouring municipalities as well as the environment.”
The results of the inspections are still being reviewed, the outlet notes.
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