I am writing to urge you to…

I am writing to urge you to remove Schedule 10 from Bill 66, Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act.
I am a strong supporter of the Ontario Environmental Bill of Rights which guarantees every Ontarian the right to a healthy environment and recognizes the inherent value of the natural environment. I believe that many other Ontarians share the view that having access to the natural environment is important for human physical and mental health. Currently, remaining fragments of natural habitat for wildlife, the watersheds and lakes that we depend on for drinking water, and the air we breathe are all protected by legislative provisions here in Ontario. This is a major reason that I and many other Ontarians have chosen this province as a place to live and work. I am horrified to see your government removing the safeguards that have been the result of careful planning and input from the public over many years.
I am most concerned about the following:
1) The bill undermines efforts to make Ontario communities more livable, sustainable and resilient to climate change.
2) The bill undermines the Clean Water Act and the Great Lakes Protection Act, including requirements for monitoring air and water quality essential for public health and safety.
3) The bill undermines protections for habitats for species at risk contained in the Planning Act and Greenbelt Act and harm the ecological health of our green spaces.
4) The bill compromises transparency and public engagement by removing the requirement to hold public meetings.

In combination with Bill 57 which eliminated the independent office of the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, I believe that Bill 66 sends the wrong message to citizens and potential investors in the Ontario economy about the vision for our province expressed in the Ontario Environmental Bill of Rights.