I am a steward of the land…

I am a steward of the land where I live, I owe respect and care to the land, the creatures with which I share it, and the photo-synthesizing trees, grasses and other plants that support all life. This complex web is clearly not of concern to the current government. It is of major concern to me.

I oppose any reduction in protected land at a time of unprecedented biodiversity loss and I reject the notion that redesignation of lands in the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan Area will address the need for housing for immigrants slated to arrive in this province, as stated by Premier Doug Ford.

The notion that these lands will be suitable for the immigrant populations is preposterous. Immigrants need to settle in urban centres where they can find communities of similar culture, services adapted to their needs, employment, good public transportation, affordable rental accommodation and accessible green space. This plan does not serve immigrants, neither does it serve low-income people struggling to find affordable housing.

This amendment also show that Ontario has no intention of implementing land use policies that seriously address climate change. We need to protect our tragically shrinking agricultural land base against loss and fragmentation, and extend protection of natural heritage and water resource systems that sustain ecological and human health.

As a Canadian citizen I am a party to the treaties signed with First Nations and I object strongly to the Ford government’s failure to consult First Nations on these amendments. They are entitled to proper consultation based on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and on the duty to consult arising from Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982.

I am embarrassed by the casual and ham-fisted way the Ford government approaches lawmaking. How should it happen? RESEARCH into legal, scientific and administrative implications, PUBLICATION, CONSULTATION, REFLECTION, PROPOSAL, FEEDBACK, DEBATE followed by, if possible, CONSENSUS and LEGISLATION. In contrast, we have poorly formulated ideology rammed through at a time of hiatus at the municipal level of government which is the most affected by these amendments.

To take one example of how the process was working, Ontario’s Housing Affordability Task Force seemed to be a sensible step in CONSULTATION. It found that a shortage of land isn’t the cause of the housing affordability problem. In fact, 86,000 acres are available for development within the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area alone. “Most of the solution must come from densification,” the Task Force recommended. “Greenbelts and other environmentally sensitive areas must be protected, and farms provide food and food security. Relying too heavily on undeveloped land would whittle away too much of the already small share of land devoted to agriculture.”

So what happened? A PROPOSAL that reflected none of these recommendations delivered with just days for FEEDBACK and DEBATE. The result - political CHAOS and the enactment of deeply flawed LEGISLATION. We, our children and future generations are fated to live with the consequences.