Erasing History. I’m…

Erasing History.

I’m writing in opposition to Bill 66 (“Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act,” 2018). The provisions of Bill 66 would circumvent measures taken to protect water, the environment, heritage and Indigenous Rights, to mention but a few.

Provisions of Bill 66 to:
- allow municipalities to circumvent their own Official Plans and Zoning By-laws, as well as provisions of provincial policies and plans,

- allow public consultation at the discretion of the municipality,

- and prevent public appeal to local bodies

are particularly odious and undemocratic.

Regarding heritage, Bill 66 would allow municipalities to bypass measures in the Planning Act and the Provincial Policy Statement, as well as their own Official Plans (often supplemented by Archaeological Master Plans), that were formulated to protect the heritage of the people of Ontario. Bill 66 would, in effect, begin Erasing History; a vital part of how people define themselves, quite apart from the economic world in which they live and which Bill 66 is designed to promote. My argument in opposition to Bill 66, aside from doubting that current regulations are harmful to business to the extent claimed, is that a healthy society requires a sense of its own history and an environment that fosters human health and a sense of inspiration and well-being, as well as a vigorous economy. There is no either/or. All must be protected.

I’m writing to insist that measures for protecting water, the environment and heritage be left intact in any new legislation designed to promote the economy of Ontario, only one aspect of our well-being as a society.