I am against Bill 23 because…

I am against Bill 23 because I do not think enough or adequate heritage professionals were consulted during its writing. If they had, heritage professionals probably would have agreed that the process for designating heritage properties should be revisited and redundancies dealt with. However, these changes should be done in consultation with municipalities and the boards who deal with the day-to-day reality of this. It is nuanced and not something we can slap a "one size fits all" solution onto. This bill will make it harder for municipalities in actuality to designate heritage properties. The result will mean that cultural heritage that should and would have otherwise qualified will miss their window and have little to no protection. Builders may be free then to build, but at what cost? Builders and heritage professionals should work together to create more homes for Ontarians, but in an appropriate manner that does not undermine irreplaceable cultural heritage. The spirit of such a bill should be cooperation, not bulldozing the expertise, heritage, culture, and spirit of our Ontario municipalities.