I am writing to voice my…

I am writing to voice my deep concern over Bill 66, the so-called Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness bill. I grew up on a farm in the Greenbelt, and while I live in Peterborough now, I still know that the protections the Greenbelt Act provides are vitally important to the health of the entire ecosystem, both natural and anthropogenic. By allowing municipalities to pass by-laws that ignore these environmental protections without public notice, ignoring vital consultation that allows citizens of this province a say in what happens in their community we are causing irreversible harm to a system that is already on the brink. Luckily many municipalities have already fought back, showing that they do not, and will not, support Bill 66.

Despite the fact that the Premier specifically said he would not open the greenbelt, bill 66 will allow development to ignore key environmental rules that protect the areas that make southern Ontario as great as it is. A healthy ecosystem provides billions of dollars of ecosystem services (a 2016 study found it provided $3.2 billion dollars annually): it cleans our water and air, pollinates our food, sequesters carbon, as well as providing easily accessible outdoor spaces that have their own host of measured benefits on human health and happiness. Ignoring these long-term benefits for short-term profit and gain is exceptionally short cited. Especially considering that there is currently enough land available in existing cities and towns to accommodate the expected growth until 2041 showing that opening the greenbelt for development is not actually for the benefit of the average Ontarian.

Cancelling (despite overwhelming opposition) a successful Cap and Trade program, and replacing it with a plan that has been shown to allow greenhouse gases to increase, and requires tax-payers to subsidize big businesses, as well as removing the authority of the arms-length environmental commissioner have already ensured that future generations will look back on this government with shame. I beg you not to make it worse by removing even more environmental protections.

Thank you