I have concerns about this…

I have concerns about this proposal because I have concerns about Bill 5 in its entirety. I do not think that this proposal should be passed without considering Bill 5 in its entirety and how that may affect this proposal.

My concerns with Bill 5 include the high level of discretion it provides, the lack of public and Indigenous involvement and notification, and the elimination of environmental protection.

If this proposal and Bill 5 pass, what does will the changes actually mean? Do they mean that the authority figure can decide for any reason at any time that there will be no archaeological assessment and/or no environmental assessment, and that the public and Indigenous People do not need to be informed? If so, then that isn't right. Citizens deserve to be in the know and voice their opinion. Often, people may know key information that can help a project succeed. Both archaeological and environmental assessments exist for a reason - to understand the impacts of a project on both these subjects. Without them, what is a project going to do? What if there are negative impacts?

I believe that this proposal should be reconsidered in its entirety with the rest of Bill 5, and be written clearly so that the public knows what changes will actually happen. There's too much generality and misleading information as it stands. I don't feel like I can trust this proposal or the Ontario government who is trying to push through yet another attack on the environment, public needs, and general consideration.

I would also like to see this, and all proposals affected by Bill 5, better advertised to the public. Individual proposals on the registry (that were also announced on the day before a long weekend) are not easy to link together, let alone see, or understand. E.g., I learned about Bill 5 right away on April 17, but I didn't know about this proposal until today (May 13). I expect better action and better behaviour in carring out actions from a government.