Regarding Bill 23 “More…

Regarding Bill 23 “More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022”:

We entrust our elected officials to protect us and the next generations. That means all of us.
The evidence is clear – protecting us and the next generations means protecting the Greenbelt, providing housing by increasing urban density, and protecting against the ravages of flooding and other extreme events happening because of climate change.

The evidence is equally clear that Bill 23 is not protecting us and future generations. In fact, Bill 23 is poised to worsen the following:

- Urban sprawl which is economically and environmentally costly, and also for human health where sprawl is related to weight gain because residents get less physical exercise
- Climate change because of increases in transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions and because of urban sprawl which changes land use from natural to paved areas
- Flooding because of decreased oversight of Conservation Authorities who have the expertise, knowledge and capacity for flood protection. Premier Ford has stated that it’s the responsibility of any builder to ensure that their developments protect against flooding. Do we all trust builders and developers have the needed expertise to ensure this? Will they be answerable to the public should they not protect against flooding?
- Flooding because of reduced protection of 7,400 acres of farmland and natural areas, all of which serve as natural protection against flooding
- Loss of biodiversity as the Greenbelt provides for a continuous east-west, uninterrupted corridor for wildlife. I doubt whether the Ford government has checked with the wildlife to ensure that the “replacement” lands will afford for the same habitat.

This bill contains 19 schedules of detailing changes to provincial regulations and policies. It took a battery of environmental lawyers two weeks to unpack this complex “Trojan horse” of a bill that was quickly rammed through the legislature without public hearings.

But perhaps the most egregious threat to the citizens of Ontario and future generations is the profound undermining of democracy by stripping us of our voice and breaking trust. Voter turnout was at a record low turnout of 36% of all eligible voters. That turnout is worst amongst the youth who figure "why bother?". Why bother voting? Why bother indeed to vote, when the provincial Conservative party is so explicitly reneging on their campaign promise in 2018 not to touch the Greenbelt.