I just became aware of the…

I just became aware of the changes today and the deadline to comment is today. I would prefer more time to go through each change and comment but there is insufficient time so I will comment on what I feel is most important. WATER

Transferring the responsibilities from the Region of Peel to private companies will cause changes to the quality of our drinking water as the private companies will focus on profits instead of safety. Throughout time, whenever services are privatized, the quality goes down.

A good example is when snow removal went to contractors. Corners were cut and roads were not cleared properly. The municipalities got rid of their equipment and then the contractors raised their prices to make more profit. Private companies are only interested in profits. They don't care about safety or doing everything in accordance with the regulations. The role of the government is to safeguard the people and resources. The reason that the regulations were implemented was because without the regulations there was no reason to comply. Private companies do not volunteer to follow rules. They will only follow rules if they are forced to comply with regulations and they know that the work will be monitored and checked.

Another example is when trucking companies were allowed to safety certificate their own trucks. We read or heard about wheels coming off trucks and harming other drivers. Vehicle repairs were not being done as employers were encouraging their mechanics to pass the inspection safety when they should not have under threat of losing their jobs.

I am concerned that privatization of our water system will result in poisoning of our water through shortcuts by companies who hold profitability above safety. The cost of providing the water, pipes, sewage services, etc. has been costed to the municipalities and has been provided at a deficit. If you transfer the authority to a private company, then they must also inherit the debt that came from the municipalities to provide the initial system. They can't just take the profitable side of the business.

A good example of how this doesn't work and is detrimental to us is highway 407. Tax peyers funded the construction of this highway and then it was sold to a private company who are now profiting charging exorbitant fees to use it. We are paying for it twice, once when it was built and once again when we travel on it.

What will stop these private companies from charging exorbitant fees for our water? What will make them comply with safely delivering clean water? How will be assured that our water is safe?

I also have concerns about removing requirements with respect to lot size and elimination of the process of lower tier municipalities to comply with upper tiers. The whole process of the Official Plan is to ensure that the regulations comply with the Minister's Orders by requiring each tier to mirror the regulations in their documents. Keep the same system as it ensures that development occurs as intended. Removing the requirement will lead to haphazard development. Rules are required because as soon as they are made, private companies look for a new way to ignore them.

Our whole system of governing is to create rules so that we live in a community that benefits the inhabitants. This will not happen if the proposed changes are implemented.

I strongly suggest that the proposed changes be withdrawn, especially those with respect to changing the provision of water services, inspection of water services,and upkeep of the sewer and drainage systems. Without this being done by our government, our health and safety will be compromised.

Thank you for allowing me to comment.