"Under the current…

"Under the current Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA) program, the process to obtain a permit is slow and complex, causing unnecessary delays and costs for housing, transit, and critical infrastructure."

Doug Ford has a lot of gall to, without evidence, claim that the delays caused by the ESA are "unnecessary". Attempting to replace the ESA with a voluntary system is a surefire way to guarantee that not enough gets done in the way of environmental conservation - and that's on purpose. The independent organization that is tasked to determine the status of endangered species cannot be overruled by legislators who know nothing about environmental science nor about biological conservation. This is a clear attempt to alleviate costs for the contractors Doug Ford is clearly and openly in the pockets of. This will only lead to further ruin for Ontario because conservation efforts are beneficial to the people who live in the Ontario too. Doug Ford's cutting of spending on forest fire services made a clear example of that two years ago when Ontario was ravaged with the smoke from forest fires, or even worse, the in forest fires themselves. This is just a small portent of what is to come if we keep allowing for the erosion of environmental protections because they are inconvenient for the contractors who attended Doug Ford's daughter's wedding.

The Special Economic Zones introduced by this bill are also undemocratic - it is a clear attempt for Doug Ford to be able to establish areas where he is able to ignore provincial and municipal laws - and his previous corruption with selling land in the greenbelt is a clear demonstration of his inability to follow the law - so we would be simply be allowing him to do so with no consequences. Allowing this to pass would set a precedent similar to the ones set in the U.S. prior to the second presidency of Donald Trump - and do we want to pave the path for that to happen on a smaller scale in Ontario?

There are better ways to encourage and facilitate the building of housing and transit - just look at Vienna's approach. Why must we give up protections for our environment when other areas have found more success in encouraging development without throwing the health of their earth, and thereby their people, under the bus?