I'm horrified by both the…

I'm horrified by both the motivation behind the omnibus-style Bill 23 and the implications if it is enacted. Two (and many more) wrongs don't make a right, and the current housing crisis (as well as the effects of the climate crisis) can only be made worse by creating more of the kinds of problems and short-term thinking that will weaken our society and economy long term.

If this Bill isn't modified, it will be embarrassing to admit that I live in Ontario and no doubt it will become a less desirable place to live and work overall.

I agree with many of the comments and concerns raised already by people and groups, including municipalities, architects, heritage groups, environmental experts, Indigenous groups, and Parks Canada. Bill 23 includes so many concerning details that it is hard to know which to comment on here. But some of the most alarming problems include:

-- Allowing subdivisions to be built on parts of the Greenbelt, which will destroy non-renewable natural resources and create more of the kind of urban sprawl-style housing that is ugly, inefficient, and ironically is unaffordable and inaccessible to many anyway.

-- Presenting the appearance and arguably reality of corruption and financial gain for developers at the expense of citizens

-- Removing requirements for public meetings for planning of subdivisions

-- Giving the Minister the power to amend municipal official plans without public consultation

-- Severely limiting the role of Conservation Authorities, removing environmental protection and conservation from their oversight

-- Freezing, reducing, or exempting developer fees used to pay for new development services such as public parks, road and sewer infrastructure, and community centres, thereby offloading even more costs to municipalities and citizens through property taxes

-- Weakening or eliminating many housing regulations that exist to protect the natural environment and communities from bad building practices. The so-called "red tape" being removed actually represents important policies and protections that improve the quality of life and safety of Ontarians; removing these is reckless and dangerous.

The Greenbelt, as is, must be protected, and building standards and regulations are essential. This Bill seems to imagine a self-contained bubble in which businesses can do whatever costs the least and takes the least effort -- slapping up poorly designed housing at any social "cost" -- all without suffering real-world consequences. But the opposite is true: changes that happen based on this Bill could cause real harm for the real lives of real Ontarians for years to come.

It is the job of government to be responsible for maintaining society's best interests. With this Bill, this current government is not doing its job. We can address the current housing crisis by using creative solutions that involve better use of space and resources in urban areas where infrastructure already exists. A larger debate on rent control and housing as a human right would also be useful, but in the meantime paving what is left of our agricultural and environmentally sensitive areas is a disasterous approach to the current situation. Enabling a free-for-all by removing regulations and protections verges on criminal negligence.

Thank you for taking the comments and concerns of Ontario citizens into consideration