The Ford Administration…

The Ford Administration brands themself as the government of the people. Bill 66 allows for a number of provisions that will seriously undermine the physical and mental health and wellbeing of Ontarions. This is incredibly concerning given the efforts made to improve source water protection in light of the Walkerton incident in which several deaths and over two thousand people being ill. In the United States, reversals to environmental protections comes at a time where several e coli outbreaks have occurred and recalls have been done on Romaine lettuce, broccoli and other vegetables.

Furthermore, public consultation is essential for a proper functioning democracy and governing for the people. People deserve to have input over what is occurring in their communities. Locals contain knowledge due to their lived experiences and provide very valuable information for experts. This is critical for functioning plans as well as properly consulting people.

Furthermore, Bill 66 is problematic for the following reasons:

1. It affects every municipality in Ontario. Bill 66 allows municipalities across the province to create “open-for-business by-laws” that would trump critical legal requirements to protect water, natural heritage, farmland and human health and well-being. These bylaws would take precedence over municipal official plans.
2. It threatens drinking water across Ontario. Open-for-business by-laws would override policies in approved source protection plans intended to protect existing and future sources of municipal drinking water from threats such as landfills, sewage systems and improper handling of fuel, manure and pesticides.
3. It threatens wetlands, woodlands and habitat for species at risk across Ontario. Open-for-business by-laws would circumvent protections for these important habitats and species set out in the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) under the Planning Act.
4. It threatens farmland across Ontario. Open-for-business by-laws would bypass
agricultural protections set out, for example, in the PPS. This could lead to more urban sprawl.
5. It threatens two million acres of natural areas and farmland across the Greenbelt.
Open-for-business by-laws would override protections for natural heritage and farmland set out in the Greenbelt Plan and the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan.
6. It threatens freshwater and the ecological health of the Lake Simcoe watershed. Open-for-business bylaws would trump requirements set out in the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan.
7. It would undermine efforts to make Ontario communities more livable, sustainable and resilient. Open-for-business by-laws would override PPS policies supporting active transportation, affordable housing, green infrastructure and climate resiliency.
8. It would compromise transparency and public engagement. Contrary to current
legal requirements (Planning Act, Clean Water Act), the by-laws could be passed without
any prior public notice, behind closed doors.
9. It would leave citizens without recourse. Community members would not be able
to appeal open-for-business by-laws to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal.
10. It threatens human and wildlife health through increased exposure to toxic
chemicals. Bill 66 proposes to repeal the Toxics Reduction Act, which requires certain
industrial facilities to consider ways to reduce the use and emission of toxic chemicals in
their operations. https://ontarionature.org/bill-66-facts/