Thank you for reading my…

Thank you for reading my comments about the proposed “Open for Business” Planning Act changes.
As a resident of the City of Hamilton, I share City staff’s concerns with the proposed amendments as follows:
- The changes are unnecessary. There is a currently an option in place for a Ministerial Zoning Order if zoning for employment lands is raised and perceived as an issue. I believe the provincial government is attempting to put the onus on municipalities to override urban plans in favour of developers;
- The amendments could undermine the City of Hamilton’s planned urban structure – years of work has gone into our current Urban Hamilton Official Plan and Rural Hamilton Official Plan built around principles of intensification, efficiency of land use, concentration of employment uses in designated areas, protection of natural areas and agricultural lands;
- The actual draft regulation was not released and the language of the proposal is vague. Of particular concern is the phrase “any prescribed provision”, which is very broad and could lead to any regulation being overridden;
- Exemption from Section 39, the Clean Water Act is particularly risky for obvious reasons. Endangering our water supply is reckless and unwarranted.
In addition to the concerns outlined above, my own concerns include the future of land and water use in the Province of Ontario. The Green Belt lands prescribe a sensible approach to land use within urban areas, preventing out-of-control urban sprawl which has caused so many environmental problems. Urban sprawl also costs municipalities (tax payers) exorbitant amounts of money to service new developments while the urban core requires investment in infrastructure.
The Ontario PC government was not elected with a majority of voters, but won a majority of seats in the legislature. There was no mandate for this government to make sweeping changes to environmental protections in Ontario, as the Progressive Conservatives campaigned without a detailed platform, neglecting to inform voters of its plans to change these important Acts.
In closing, I would like to remind this government the current Premier promised to keep the Green Belt safe. Bill 66 goes against this promise and endangers the future of our environment and health of residents, land and wildlife.