Bill 66: Restoring Ontario's…

Bill 66: Restoring Ontario's Competiveness Act is very concerning. Land use planning and environmental protections aren't red tape -- they're important part of safely, sustainably growing municipalities in Ontario. Allowing municipalities to circumvent important protections is not only bad planning, it's dangerous. In what way does exempting municipal planning decisions from s39 of the Clean Water Act benefit anyone other than polluters? Letting municipalities avoid conforming with the Provincial Policy Statement, Greenbelt Plan, Oak Ridge Moraine Plan, or Places to Grow isn't about streamlining development approvals; it's about allowing development to proceed on land that's protected for good reason: cities need to densify, not sprawl out. We can't afford to waste our remaining greenspaces on suburban developments or megamalls. I see nothing of value in this Bill -- only a clear path to public health risks and irresponsible, regressive approaches to development.