Hello, I am a longtime rural…

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019-6216

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77538

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Individual

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Hello, I am a longtime rural resident residing in the Town of Erin, basically a rural Township. I was a long-time supporter of the Conservative Party of Ontario. But under the leadership(?) of Doug Ford, I cannot be and am not a staunch supporter of his leadership.
For me, my family and many of my neighbours and friends, we see Doug Ford demonstrates a lack of integrity. This speaks to his repeated promises that there would be no removal of lands from the Greenbelt. In 2018, he introduced Bill 66 which threatened the Greenbelt. Thankfully for him, he backtracked. At that time, he promised not to open the Greenbelt for development again. He explicitly promised, many times,he wouldn't. Yet,here we are, December 2022, again fighting for the preservation of lands in the Greenbelt against Bill 23.
Not only does he lack integrity, his actions are not transparent. He says he is for the "little people". He says he listens to them. Well, the "little people" have shouted loud and clear that they want him and his Conservatives to "safeguard the Greenbelt for future generations and be staunch stewards of the lands".
Bill 23 is a land grab. He is buckling under pressures from developers and using the pretext that Bill 23 will address the provincial housing shortage. It doesn't. In reality, this Doug Ford move opens the Greenbelt for development, destroys the effectiveness and responsibilities of the conservation authorities in Ontario and puts the cost of this growth heavily on the municipal taxpayer.
I am already feeling the direct effect Bill 23 has on me and my plans. I am in the process of applying for a severance. My Council has recently amended the Parkland Dedication Fee from $7500. to include the requirement of an Appraisal Report (additional cost to me) and 5% of the appraised land as the new Parkland Dedication Fee (exorbitantly more than the $7500.00 previously set out). When I indicated to Council that this looks very much like a money-grab, I was told that they are aligning to Bill 23.

I am vehemently opposed to Bill 23.