I am very disappointed in…

I am very disappointed in this bill and all that it stands for. It would be a giant step backwards for the province in every way that it proposes to address gridlock.

First of all, the removal of protections for homeowners from expropriation is an flagrant attack on individual rights and due process. This alone should make this bill very problematic to every resident of the province. The removal of environmental assessment requirements for major infrastructural projects is similarly backwards - the long term consequences of a lack of environmental protections can impact many generations and it's a lesson that's well understood by people who cherish this land. We should not and cannot just throw that aside for short term, controversial, political ambitions.

Secondly, the issue of where to put bike lanes should be determined by local democratic processes, and it is a gross overreach of the provincial government to interfere with such matters where they have no expertise. The division of responsibilities of different levels of government should be respected, and I have not heard any compelling argument in the form of studies or public consultations that would indicate that this would actually address gridlock. In fact, if every cyclist in a municipality were forced to drive instead there is every reason to believe that gridlock would worsen, not improve.

Most importantly of all, so much research has gone into the best ways for communities to build resilience and prepare for the challenges of climate change, and this bill goes against everything we should be standing for. Instead of investing in the future, the bill seems to chain us ever more tightly to a automobile-dependent past that is simply unsustainable. This is grossly short-sighted.

Addressing gridlock may be an important priority for the government, but it should not be at the expense of our individual rights, environmental protections, and local democracy. We must come up with better solutions that safeguard our well-being and our future.