I am opposed to this…

I am opposed to this proposal. The PPS provides the important goal of 1.5 million new homes by 2030. It also puts transit-supportive design ahead of more sprawling car-dependent suburbs. It also is supposed to protect long-term viability of rural areas, local food production and the agri-food network. The purpose of the Statement under the Act is to protect provincial interest. This proposal would allow the Minister to further undermine the provincial interest in urban planning. Another purpose is to ensure a comprehensive, integrated and long-term to planning, which this proposal again would undermine. The plan mandates planning for complete communities, something this proposal makes easier for the Minister to interfere with. The Minister would no longer have to consider the if their actions are consistent with the minimum targets for housing affordable to low and moderate income households. This would also allow the Minister to try to focus development outside of settlement areas. We saw how that went during the Greenbelt Scandal, it was a chance for corrupt insiders to cash in. It would also allow the Minister to undermine active transportation. It also would allow the Minister to ignore the special weight that needs to be given to protecting prime agricultural areas in making decisions. It also allows the Minister to undermine minimum density requirements allowing developers to build more Mcmansions instead of the transit-oriented development needed to end the housing crisis. It also allows the Minister to undermine rural character, rural regeneration, and rural biodiversity. It allows the Minister to not consider climate change in any decisions. It also allows the Minister to undermine and ignore long-term protections for natural features. It also will allow for development and site alteration in wetlands, woodlands, valleylands, significant wildlife habitat, and significant areas of natural and scientific interest where that is currently not permitted. It also would allow development in surrounding areas to those areas that would interfere in the ecological functions of those areas. It also allows the Minister to damage watersheds. It allows the Minister to harm the hydrologic functions of sensitive water features. It allows the Minister to interfere with municipal watershed planning.

In this comment, a reference to a decision or decisions of the Minister does not include a reference to a decision or decisions of the Minister in the Greenbelt Area.It allows the Minister to interfere with energy conservation and efficiency.