Hello here are my thoughts…

Hello here are my thoughts about the changes to the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System.
-I am not sure why the wetland evaluation system seems to only apply to municipalities now. Does the system no longer apply to the Ontario Government? If that is the case, I believe that is wrong and the government should not be exempt from having to use it. Why are the conservation authorities not involved with using the system anymore either? It would seem to me that they should be, as conservation authorities manage wetland areas.
-It would also seem to me that many of the changes aimed to remove redundancies, are in fact removing safeguards to make sure that wetlands are properly evaluated by multiple parties, and that they are evaluating multiple important features of wetlands, including evaluating for endangered species.
-Re-evaluation of a wetland system in my mind can lead to the potential for systematic abuse, and harm to a wetland system by a landowner, followed by a subsequent re-evaluation. We farm just outside of the GTA, and we have seen, on several occasions, destruction of natural wetland areas by developer-landowners, in an attempt to shrink them in size. Re-evaluations could then potentially allow for this man-made shrinkage in wetland area to be 'approved' as far as mapping is concerned.
-Removing the idea of a wetland complex seems ridiculous to me. Is that supported by current ecological science? The entire wetland area should be considered as a single unit, as it functions together, and not separate of each element.
-The idea of any tillage in an agricultural system removing wetland consideration is quite frankly ridiculous. We have farmed many areas that *technically* we could get the tractor through and work up the soil, but absolutely should not be considered as good farm ground. Some areas are wet, and should remain wet and provide habitat, it is a better and more appropriate use of the land.
-It is unclear why all of the requirements for a catchment basin, particularly the mapping and record keeping portion, are being removed.
I only made it about halfway through the document, as my time was limited, but there appears to many redactions in place throughout the document that remove items that added clarity to the document. These removed items also functioned to mitigate misinterpretation throughout the document, and it is unclear to me why they were removed. Most of the changes in the document do appear to me to have the potential for abuse and removal of wetland protections, and I strongly encourage that this document be reviewed further by experts in the field of ecological and biological sciences before it is approved. Wetlands are a critical part of our ecosystems, water supplies, and flood protection, and they should be evaluated to the fullest extent by experts in the field. This document should reflect that, and should give priority to wetland protection over ease of development.