I am concerned about this…

I am concerned about this legislation and how it was brought forward right before the Legislature rose for the Christmas/Winter break. I am concerned that Schedule 10 from Bill 66 allows municipalities to override provisions in the Greenbelt Act, Clean Water Act, Lake Simcoe Act, Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Act and Great Lakes Protection Act. I benefit from these acts through my walks and hikes in parks running through Vaughan that are protected by the Greenbelt. I am concerned that there will be toxic run-off going through the Don River. I am concerned that there will be less wildlife. These are currently parks where I can see Great Blue Herons and other specialized species of birds. This act risks removing their habitat and threatening these species. We essentially have pristine greenery to walk through in the GTA thanks to the acts. This has a lot of co-benefits like reducing stress for individuals and providing tourism options for locals and foreigners. It also means that you can get your nature in without having to drive 1-2 hours away from the city. It took a lot of work to have these acts passed. It would be a shame to have them compromised. Passing Schedule 10 as part of Bill 66 will have consequences through less animals and flora for generations to come.

As well, changing these acts to allow for developers to build single-family, detached homes will be a big mistake. It will create more congestion, more stress for individuals, and more environmental contamination. This infrastructure will also be more costly for municipalities to maintain over the long-term. It is wiser to pass legislation that will intensify urban development where it already exists and set higher standards to build durable structures.