Although the intent of this…

Although the intent of this bill is to increase jobs and Ontario’s competitiveness, I believe the repercussions will have negative effects in many areas, especially the environment.

Bill 66 proposes the addition of section 34.1 of the Planning Act which will allow municipalities to pass open-for-business planning by-laws that would authorize and allow for the use of land for “prescribed purposes.” This will essentially give municipal councils bias discretion when it comes to determining which policies and protections they chose to implement. This also means that developments can take place through the process of streamline zoning approvals, which will effectively exempt them from compliance with legislation and planning documents. Some of this legislation includes the Clean Water act, Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan, and the Greenbelt Plan. I find this to be very concerning because it shows little regard for the protection of the environment, and a complete disregard for quality of life (human and animal) in exchange for a short-sighted small benefit the economy. Ontario business is already booming. While voluntary compliance is possible and municipalities should do what is in the best interest of their local area, there is no reason why this should be done with no public consultation and/or no option for appeal. What are you trying to hide? This schedule for the Municipal Planning Act alone would move us backwards in terms of transparency and environmental protections. This needs to be amended to include public consultation and an appeal process. This will maintain trust in the government and some important developments could still get approval.

Source water protection is the first barrier to ensure clean and safe drinking water for Ontario’s citizens. These open-for-business by-laws will take precedence over critical legislation like the Clean Water Act which protects our drinking water. One of the most critical locations for the recharge of groundwater is the Oak Ridges Moraine. The creation of Algonquin Park in the 1860s was to protect this headwater which is the source of water for many municipalities. A long-term vision that can ensure public health and clean drinking water.

Urban sprawl and the destruction of our prime agricultural land needed to be halted, so the Greenbelt Plan and Places to Grow Acts were passed in 2005. This land needs to be protected in perpetuity. We need to repurpose our urban spaces and stop the unsustainable practice of commuting and subdivisions. The shift in the energy economy depends of more centralized residential and commercial spaces. We can encourage development, but not in these limited protected spaces.

Bill 66 is pushing to repeal the Toxics Reduction Act and all associated regulations by the year 2021. While Part 5 of the Environmental Protection Act manages toxic substances, it does not mandate that companies have reduction plans or report their use of substances to the public. I understand reducing redundancies to save money, but we need to compare apples to apples. Some of the regulations may be able to be discontinued, but a full repeal is not in the best interest of Ontarians. The far reaching and long-term impacts of toxics will affect our resource base and sooner than later cause a negative impact on our economy – yes, our economy.

I believe that Bill 66 will have some very serious ramifications regarding the health of the environment, and it will destroy a lot of the progress we’ve made as Ontarians. We need to move forward. Be patient, we can still improve competitiveness in a controlled way instead of giving in to big business lobby. We all need to be thinking sustainably or we are ALL in trouble.