This comment is regarding…

This comment is regarding Schedule 6 of Bill 97, the provision for discretion to order non-application of provincial plans and official plans to Minister’s orders respecting land use.
The proposed section reads:
“(4.0.1) The Minister may, in an order made under clause (1) (a), provide that policy
statements issued under subsection 3 (1), provincial plans and official plans do not apply
in respect of a licence, permit, approval, permission or other matter required before a use
permitted by the order may be established.”
This change would allow the Minister to specify the non-allowance of designated water protection policies, the Provincial Policy Statement, or an Official Plan.
Source Protection Plans under the Clean Water Act, the Provincial Policy Statement and Official Plans contain important provisions for protection of many aspects of communities, including health and safety, and protection of resources. The discretion provided to the Minister to exempt these specified lands from these important provincial plans and policies is very broad, and there is no appeal. This power will undermine the careful, evidence-based work done by communities in developing their Official Plans with public input, as well as the thorough consideration of potential significant threats to safe drinking water and the Great Lakes.
It is important to recall that protecting sources of drinking water is critical and was one of the fundamental recommendations of the Walkerton Inquiry. These important protections, developed with extensive science and multi-sector and public review by the Source Protection Planning Authorities should not ever be undermined.
It is therefore my request that Schedule 6, Section 11 of Bill 97 be withdrawn or deleted. Additional evidence for this recommendation is included in the submission of the Canadian Environmental Law Association (link provided).