The government of Ontario…

The government of Ontario forgot to remove the Environmental Registry, which is now a meaningless and frustrating exercise for Ontarians who wish to be heard on specific issues regarding our shared environment. My comments along with an untold number of those from others, opposing the legislation that was recently enacted to facilitate the government's plan to develop this province were ignored.

Therefore, I will not address the fact that the current sitting government completely removed species at risk protections just a few months ago; nor will I dwell on the fact that a species of bird which has very specific habitat needs in order to reproduce successfully (the Piping Plover) is now threatened by this new decision to remove a huge part of Wasaga Beach from provincial park protections in favour of development. Nor will I speak to the fact that this government clearly cares not a whit about the state of the environment, climate change, nor any of the impacts that come from degradation of the environment, whether that be from development, pollution or climate change. I will not comment, as I have in the past, about how regressive these new laws are; how we have already seen versions of this sort of attitude play out in our environment since the settlement of Ontario began in the 1700s.

However, I want to remark on the callous disregard this current government has for the average Ontarian, and the lack of thought for today's children and youth, as well as the children to come in the near future.

I will state again: I did not vote for this government. I do not approve of the direction being taken under the excuse of the "trade war with the USA."

Also I wish to note the decision of the government of Ontario to erode protections and its plans to willy nilly bulldoze nature, particularly the remnants of nature in Southern Ontario, in favour of development is foolhardy and just plain stupid. Only an idiot will cut of his or her nose to spite their face, as the old saying goes. One would think this would not happen in 2025, but here I stand, witness, to the greatest stupidity of all acts. This government views nature as a detriment to prosperity, and thus is working to erode the natural environment as expediently as it can.

There are, ironically enough, many non-destructive things this government could do in order to achieve long-lasting fame. Things like working to develop an economy that ensures equality and equity for every single human in the province. Things like elevating environmental protections to almost a sacred level, so that every living being in the province, be that a tree, a plant, a bird, a fish, a mollusk, a mammal, an insect or arachnid, a moss or the tiny organisms that rely on moss to provide a home, the host of seen and unseen life forms that make Ontario such a beautiful place to live have now and always a good home. To work to strengthen our natural environment, to develop a green economy, to do away with punitive measures for the poorest and neediest, to stop serving the interests of a few extremely wealthy to the detriment of the majority who are not extremely wealthy.

As I write, I am experiencing the sixth period of extreme temperatures to hit Southwestern Ontario, which ensures this summer to go on record as the hottest ever. Forest fires are buring all around the globe, but some of the biggest fires as in Canada this summer. To fight climate change, we do not need to lose our green spaces, our agricultural lands, our wetlands, our beaches, our waters - we need to ensure we have more green space, that agriculture is practiced sustainably, not destructively; that we work to restore the balance that we lost many decades ago, thanks to "development."

Reject this legislation, reject stupidity. Embrace real and meaningful change that works to create a better world for every living being in this province!

Mark my words, unless this government sops this direction, it will be remembered for a very long time for its destructive, uncaring attitude and the damage it currently is wreaking on the environment.