Bill 23 is regressive policy…

Bill 23 is regressive policy in action. This bill will have significant, long term detrimental impacts to communities, municipalities, citizens and the environment. Ontario needs increased density within existing, democratically defined municipal boundaries. Not additional sprawl that destroys productive farmland and critical watershed areas.

Creating hastily constructed, car dependent suburbs which require additional supportive infrastructure beyond the immediate build area also adds burden to municipalities already significant infrastructure debt. It places people further away from jobs and necessitates car dependency without providing a sufficient tax base, due to lack of density, to self support the required infrastructure build out.

Lastly, this is inexcusably undemocratic. Citizens voted for the current boundaries to be maintained through locally elected governments and initiatives. This provincial government is simply ignoring the will of the people in a gross violation of our democratic process.

Please do not proceed with Bill 23! Additional density within existing boundaries is the only way forward.