I am frankly shocked and…

I am frankly shocked and dismayed by this legislation. It will do nothing to help people find affordable housing when you are allowing developers to build on the green belt - this area will have large, estate-like homes. Anyone in an affordable housing situation cannot live hours from their work either. You do understand most people do not have cottages and big homes like Ford does. The lack of rationale for the removal of land, which previously met Greenbelt criteria, undermines the value of existing laws, based on whim rather than rigour.

You proposing take away the right to consult by indigenous peoples who are the best land protectors. This law may be held up in court for years. Ontario, as the Crown, has a legal obligation to consult with Aboriginal peoples where it contemplates decisions or actions that may adversely impact asserted or established Aboriginal or Treaty Rights (court cases: Haida, 2004; Taku River, 2004; Mikisew Cree, 2005) . This obligation now includes: formal notice, information, peer-review funding, and accommodation of the concerns raised during consultation. Further, that cumulative effects
are the proper subject of consultation, and that private interests risk delayed projects by a
failure to consult (court case: SON, 2017).

The other shock is the loss of very environmentally important green land. Once it is destroyed, it cannot come back. The endangered species are gone FOREVER. You can't replace an acre of green belt with an acre close to a city - it is laughable. Wetlands are of vital importance for the role they play in purification of water, the regulation of flood waters, and the habitat for water creatures. Changing the way these are defined risks undermining both their cultural and economic significance for Indigenous communities. Be ready to pay out millions in flood damage relief once the green belt is gone because floods will be bigger in the cities than you can even imagine.

I respectfully advise the Government of Ontario to pause in its efforts on Bill 23 and
delay its third reading until such time as consultation with First Nations, as rightsholders and treaty partners, has been adequately conducted. Or there will be court challenges which will suck up more tax payer dollars and every court case this government has fought, they have lost.

Thank you for listening. Do the right thing. Make your children and grandchildren respect you, not hate you for destroying the Earth.