This bill does not protect…

This bill does not protect Ontario. Instead, it puts our lives in grave danger. Special economic zones could be placed anywhere and no current legislation would be valid. Anything could be built without examination of the consequenced and no oversight would be provided.

It is an egregious attack that would allow any mines, buildings and highways to be built anywhere. The Greenbelt could be paved over, destroying species at risk and eliminating our precious landscapes and waterways.

Who would be "trusted proponents”? We know from experience in the past that money spent on environmental assessment has saved many areas of our province from unwise development. Those assessments protect our environment and are sorely needed investments in our future.

The constitutional duty to consult with First Nations people under Section 35 would be abrogated, leading to long court cases that would cost Ontario taxpayers many millions and would not be through the system before the damage had already been done. It’s an egregious attack on Aboriginal and Treaty rights and eliminates environmental assessments.

Developers will find archaeological sites that represent thousands of years of occupation, resulting in the erasure of their history. Archaeology is the main evidence that is used to understand how people lived in the past with a balance between nature and human activity.

Developers, through the Minister in charge, would have sole discretion on the remains that would be considered valuable and so worth saving.

Lelislators should know that nothing will happen without the consent of Indigenous people who will speak not only about preserving their history but also about protecting species at risk, namely the caribou the wolverines, the birds, the fish, the turtles, and the salamanders. As we are often told, humans are unable to bring back all the animals that have died. You can't return a subdivision or a road to nature.

In any case, the forest is one thing that protects humans from an increasingly hot climate. We will not be able to live on this earth if that disappears.

In summary, the legislation should not be brought forward; it should be killed in committee.