Why is Nimbyism so constant, and who says it's bad?

Jeff Green | Feb 07, 2024

Nimbyism is a boon to our business at the Frontenac News.

In many cases, it is how we find out that something is happening, because someone contacts us to let is know about it. And more often than not, those people are the neighbouring property owners who have been informed that a meeting is coming up to look at a proposal.

And this is the thing. If someone is happy, or neutral, about what is being proposed, they don't phone or email the News, or post anything on a “What's Happening” Facebook page. But if they are unhappy, or feel threatened or are outraged by the proposal, then they are going to want to talk about, research the underlying issues and make a public case.

Municipal planners and senior staff have a prescribed role to play when applications are made to them for Official Plan or Zoning Bylaw amendments, which are most often necessary in these cases. They are bound by provincial regulations to look at some specific aspects of these proposals and not others, and in the end it is the local council members who end up in the hot seat.

The politicians must also heed those provincial regulations, and they are bound to serve the long term social and financial interests of the municipality as they see them. They are also facing concerned, often angry, residents who are watching their every move.

It can be a daunting experience.

For politicians who have seen various issues come and go, it is easy to descend into a resigned, even cynical, point of view.

Because just about everyone who comes to council to oppose something, is a either a NIMBY, or someone coming out in support of a NIMBY who has contacted them and provided them with their perspective on the matter.

People do not like to be called a NIMBY, because NIMBYism has a bad name.

In a report prepared for the Ford government in 2022 as the goal of building 1.5 million homes in Ontario over 15 years, NIMBYism was identified as an impediment to solving the housing crisis in ths province.

"NIMBYism is a large and constant obstacle to providing housing everywhere. We cannot allow opposition and politicization of individual housing projects to prevent us from meeting the needs of all Ontarians,” the report says.

The implications is that there are NIMBY's, selfish people who are more concerned with their petty needs, and the rest of us, YIMBY's, good people who want society to succeed and are willing to be invonvenienced in order for that to happen.

The truth is that there are not two kinds of people, given the right circumstances, we can all be put in the NIMBY position. Our homes are our safe haven. We raise our families in our homes. So, when we perceive a threat to the wellbeing of ourselves and our families, we act to protect our direct interests.

From wind turbines, to battery storage, campground expansion, addiction treatment centre and an apartment building, a wide variety of projects have been proposed in our region in recent years that have sparked opposition from neighbours.

While the projects are diverse, the common denominator is that it is the neighbours have little to gain from these projects. The land owner and the property developer or the energy company seeking to make these projects happen all have something to gain. Local muncipal officials are always looking to help create more taxable properties and employment opportunities for their communities.

But for the neighbour, the change can either be neutral, or negative. It could be as simple as a blot on the landscape blocking the view of the sunset, it could be the potential fumes from an industrial site, the threat of flooding, or potential impacts on water supply. There are a host of impacts from a development next door, so why should any of us, as the neighbours, want these changes to take place to a neighbourhood that has been working just fine for us, a neighborhood we helped create.

The challenge for the NIMBY, and the challenge for the municipality charged with making decisions about whether to permit necessary Official Plan or Zoning Bylaw amendments in many cases, is to evaluate whether the threat is real or imagined, whether it is minor or major.

But, if you remove the value judgement, the people who come forward to oppose a diverse set of projects: wind turbines, battery storage, addiction treatment centres, campground expansion, to use recent examples in our region, are all people who don't want these things in their backyard.

People in Verona and Sydenham may support the Opinicon Lake property owners who have been campaigning against the expansion of Skycroft campground, but they aren't going to lose any sleep over it either. After all it really is not in their backyard at all.