I strongly oppose the…

I strongly oppose the proposed updates to the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System. This short sighted legislation will worsen what I feel is our most pressing problem in the province - climate change and loss of biodiversity. Draining and filling in wetlands to allow more housing and subdivision development will definitely worsen the most pressing issue that we now face in Ontario. That most pressing issue is definitely not housing.

Once the wetland habitat has been drained, species and vegetation cover lost, the water table disrupted, it is irreversible. We can never make it right again 20 years from now when we realize the impact of this action. It is irreversible. Life will become unbearable due to the increasingly high temperatures, violent storms, erosion, poor air and water quality due to environmental degradation. Having a home to live in will mean little if the world outside your door is an environmental catastrophe.

I feel that this proposal to allow municipalities to make decisions on redrawing wetland boundaries, choosing to bak fill and rezone wetlands, remove the vegetation and proceed with new subdivisions is a disasgter. Municipalities lack expertise in judging the long term environmental consequences of their land use decisions. Even with the existing rules on wetlands they continue to frequently ignore recommendations of local conservation authorities in favour of severance, rezoning and development permits. There is a municipal tax revenue bonus to providing such permissions. Putting Municipalities in charge of redrawing wetland boundaries is like putting the "fox in charge of the hen house".

The province should be seeking more environmentally friendly and enlightened ideas to solve the housing shortage (densification, building up not out, "tiny houses", small footprint homes, etc. ) rather than irreversibly sacrificing the environment in order to build more and more urban sprawl.