I am shocked by the blatant…

I am shocked by the blatant lack of public consultation for bill 132. I have been working my way through the bill and find it enormous in scope. It is difficult to understand the full implications. I find it disturbing that the government wants to harmonize Ontario's environmental policy with the more regressive national one. Ontario is currently a leader in creating environmentally responsible and sustainable solutions. To make pesticides legal again is not good for business and is not better for people. It is certainly not good for the honey bee industry, or for the bee population, or for people who rely on natural antiallergenic properties of honey to boost their natural resistance to serious allergens. For true consultation Ontario's people need more time and opportunities to better understand what is being proposed. As someone who was ready and willing for public engagement and was looking for the date when a consultation would be held in Kenora, it shocked me to hear that the consultation was cancelled due to "lack of interest". How does one express interest when there is no public notice of meeting? I certainly had no opportunity.

Please extend the deadline for consultation, call meetings in an open, transparent way, allow for public conversations and feedback about the consequences that this enormous bill will have.