The Ontario government needs…

The Ontario government needs to look to the future with a more eco-conscious and forward thinking approaches. If this Bill is to pass what guarentees do the "People of Ontario" have from the "Government of the People" that they will retain the integrity of the "Land of the People". We need to think about improving transit, growing more densely and finding new business models that aren't the same old, same old.

In addition to the threat that this Bill poses on the environment the archaeological and historical impact that it may have is nothing to snear at. Ontario has a rich history of occupation that dates back more than 12,000 years. The archaeological assessments completed each year in advance of development help fill in the gaps in the story of our Province, Indigenous Peoples and more recent settlers. Archaeology gives a voice to many who have been written out of the history of our Province. Indigenous and descendant community participation in the process of archaeological investigation has recently amplified that voice. Bill 66 threatens to allow municipalities to opt out of provisions within the Planning Act, including the Provincial Policy Statement (2014) which require many of the assessments that are completed.

Under Bill 66, a municipality will be able to circumvent Subsection 3(5) and Section 24 of the Planning Act which give authority to the Provincial Policy Statement (2014) and Official Plan requirements respectively. The protection of heritage is a mandatory provincial interest under the Ontario Heritage Act, not a decision of convenience at a municipal level. Bill 66 needs to be amended to restore the requirements that protect our heritage for the generations to come.

Why does the "Government for the people" want to limit the "History of the People" and destroy connections that we have to the land and history that we are so very lucky to have??