Dear Deepak Anand, I am a…

Dear Deepak Anand,

I am a grade 9 student from Central Peel Secondary School, from Brampton, who would like to voice her concerns on the recently proposed amendments made to the “Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, 2017”. Mainly, it is regarding Amendment 1.2, concerning the following 4 changes made:

a) “further amended by deleting “, a clean and healthy environment” and “social equity” and replacing it with “an approach that puts people first”.

b) “further amended by deleting “offer a wide variety of choices for living” and replacing it with “have sufficient housing supply that reflects market demand and what is needed in local communities”.

c) “It was further amended by deleting “long-term” and deleting “net-zero” and replacing it with “environmentally sustainable”.

d) “It is further amended by deleting “low-carbon” and replacing it with “environmentally sustainable” and deleting “, with the long-term goal of net-zero communities,”.

These 4 revisions to the plan seem to take the focus on the entire ‘green’ aspect of it away and altered its course in its entirety. So, I, as a citizen of Ontario, ask you to remove these specific amendments, for several reasons. Firstly, by deleting “a clean and healthy environment” and “social equity” and replacing it with “an approach that puts people first”, it emphasizes that the decisions being made to change the original plan were considered only for the profit of the people. In order to ensure our communities coexist with the environment we are surrounded by, we must have an equal balance of considering the needs of our people, and the very nature that provides us the resources to thrive. In the plan that has just had amendments made to, instead of aiming to reduce carbon emissions and foster Ontario’s remaining environment into sustainable habitats for future generations, the amendment seems to have strayed away from the sustainability promotion perspective. The people of our community and the sense of place they have developed within the borders of this province are only as important as the environment that surrounds us. We need to critically think about how humanity as a whole and individual communities are affecting the environment, or soon enough, the people of Canada might not have an environmentally involved future to look forward to.

More specifically, by bringing back attention to the state of our environment, we must maintain strict and clear goals for regions to meet, or action will not be taken at the time we need it most; now. The amendments, which were deleting “low-carbon”, and “with the long-term goal of net-zero communities,” and replacing it with “environmentally sustainable”, targets for renewable energy- producing communities have been omitted, which places a stress on the very non-renewable resources we are running out of. In short, by deleting clear set goals for us to reach such as communities going net-zero, and using low carbon emissions, by broadening up intentions of how the environment will be made sustainable, it is a collective concern that by loosening up restrictions, environmental preservation and rehabilitation will occur at extremely slow paces, as now there is leeway to not meet set targets.

While the economy is crucial to keep functions running, and rising populations calls for a need for expansion, compact growth as original plan proposes, would use already-built-upon land to its fullest extent, be a cheaper option than further sprawling outwards, and the high population density would allow for a more effective public transit system, while preventing productive farmland and ecosystems from urbanization. The environment; local, regional, provincial; is in desperate need for help, and if action is not taken soon, humanity would ultimately end up suffering the long term consequences. So, I urge you, as lawmakers, to please omit the amendments made to section 1.2, as it diverts priority from our deteriorating environment when we as a province, can do much better in setting sustainability targets for our communities, to not only survive, but to prosper both economically, and environmentally.