This bill, if passed will…

This bill, if passed will result in the dismantlement of a finely tune system of community planning.
The passing of a Open for Business Zoning By-laws will have a dramatic impact on what Ontarions expected : that the preservation of farmland, and necessary protections for groundwater to guarantee the health of people in Ontario would be maintained. That is what Mr. Ford campaigned on.
It will impact the already shrinking supply of farmland as well as it will encourage urban sprawl. (From a planning perspective we know that this approach cost a municipality more than it gains in taxes.) Further it will impact on ground / drinking water as water aquifers do not respect municipal boundaries but rather geographic boundaries. A decision by one municipality can impact downstream municipalities. This would be without any consultation and the downstream (or down aquifer) municipalities or even citizens within the enacting municipality would have no notice until the ground water was contaminated.
Further the clean Water act was enacted to prevent the deaths that occurred in Walkerton. Does the threshold of 50 or 100 jobs as spelled out in the bill justify the risks and damage to decades worth of protection on areas and systems that were designated after scientific study.
Bill 66 has no basis in science and instead relies on the hope the proposed bylaws will not impact precious and irreplaceable resources that our communities rely on.
Farmland constitutes about half the land area of the Greater Golden Horseshoe and represents one of the most important economic sectors of the region. In 2011 alone, agricultural production in the GGH brought $6.3 billion into the economy. It is also a significant employer, with 35,000 employees in 2011, representing 39 per cent of Ontario’s employment in this sector. The Greenbelt farms are particularly productive, for a variety of reasons, and produce an average of 55 per cent of Ontario’s fruit and 13 per cent of its vegetables. How is this not significant to the future of our communities and the employment base.
The more farmland lost to speculation and developers the less is available to existing and potentially new farmers. One of the major impediments to new farmers wanting to enter the business is the cost of land. Is Mr. Ford's government not concerned that if our food producing lands continue to be paved over we will reduce our agri business and reduce our ability to feed ourselves.
By allowing municipalities to pass bylaws that would exempt developers from compliance with higher order planning documents and legislation, Bill 66 would reduce farmers’ access to an already limited resource and, at worst, displace farm businesses and limit the possibility of economic growth, not only of the agriculture sector, but of the province as a whole. Prime farmland is not a renewable resource.