Chaos at committee

Also: "Strong mayors on steroids," regional revamp, AG digs into Laurentian U, CUPE strike 2.0, and "democracy is hard"

ABOVE THE FOLD

Call it deja vu. The PCs are again tinkering with municipal governments while CUPE’s education workers have issued another strike notice. But first: lots of fireworks at the committee studying the (other) big housing bill.

BACKLASH OVER BILL 23 II — JOHN SEWELL, a former Toronto Mayor who hasn’t been shy about his opposition to Bill 23 — was removed from Queen’s Park by legislative security after he showed up to committee hearings demanding he be able to address MPPs studying the controversial legislation.

The 81-year-old ex-mayor called it “serious anti-democracy.”

Among other things that Sewell, environmental advocates, municipalities and others aren’t happy about: slashing the fees developers pay for certain projects that municipalities use for infrastructure, parks and more. It would also carve up the Greenbelt and diminish the role of conservation authorities.

NDP MPP CATHERINE FIFE, who sits on the committee, said she’s “never seen anything like this at Queen’s Par…