Allowing the Municipality to…

Allowing the Municipality to by-pass provincial/federal/planning policies without public consultation, while streamlining the process in order to attract investment in the municipality, is fool-hardy at best. Throughout time, these policies were established in order to plan out communities and safeguard the water supply as well as protect the environment. Also, many small municipalities have Councils whose elected members lack the expertise and knowledge required to make these decisions, decisions which may result in negative effects down the line. What is being touted as opportunity for industrial and commercial investment, may result in changes which our community can least afford. In the long run, we need consultation along with transparency in order to be able to reflect the wishes of the community, along with consultation and study by experts in the field with the guidance of policies which have been established in order to safeguard against making decisions which may negatively impact our community and the environment. Decisions made in order to attract business to a community can result in major changes. Take for example the use of water by Nestle. They would come to a community, drain the water supply and when they want to further expand, move. Precautions are built into planning, zoning regulations. Policies must be adhered to or we might sacrifice our homes, land and water for a quick buck. Let's not be overzealous and expedite matters by allowing this.