As a 21-year-old who has…

As a 21-year-old who has called Ontario home my entire life, I call on the Ford government to withdraw support for Bill 5. These amendments to our existing laws - laws which exist to protect the environment - would set back Ontario’s conservation efforts by decades. Preserving the natural world and respecting the treaty rights of Indigenous people and health & safety rights of workers should never be dismissed as “red tape.” Bill 5 is a reckless, even callous proposal, a way of fast-tracking development while bypassing the necessary procedures to ensure due diligence is done. When the Ford government proposed the Greenbelt land swap, the people of Ontario spoke up and got the decision reversed. This is no different. I’m a registered voter and a proud citizen. I visit our provincial parks and conservation areas on a regular basis. I live a stone’s throw away from land protected by the Greenbelt. I am also a young person. I believe in preserving the pristine and delicate beauty of this province for as long as I live, and longer still after that. Please do not be so shortsighted. Think of my future, and the future I want to give to my children one day. This backsliding on environmental protection in Ontario cannot stand. I say no to Bill 5.