I do not support the "Open…

I do not support the "Open for Business" Act as it is a major step backward for the planning of a sustainable future for Ontario citizens and our natural resources. The "red tape" that Premier Ford speak of deleting are the carefully crafted Acts and Legislation that have been developed over decades to protect our drinking water, wetlands, farmland and native species.

This proposed Bill is also inherently undemocratic as it overrides the authority of municipalities to use zoning to plan their towns and cities. It also allows decisions to be made without transparency, public discussion or a structure to appeal.

Other concerns about this proposed bill include:
."open for business" by-laws would trump critical legal requirements now in place to protect water, natural heritage, farmland and air quality thereby threaten drinking water, pesticide use, and loss of farmland in the Greenbelt;
.It threatens wetlands, woodlands and habitat for endangered species
.It supports urban sprawl which puts municipalities in debt and undermines the effectiveness of public transport
.It overrides the Provincial Policy Statement policies that support green infrastructure and climate resiliency
.It repeals the Toxics Reduction Act

This proposed Bill 66 looks like it was written by development companies to maximize their profits without any concern for the environment, food production, or sustainable budgets. Greedy capitalism at its worse.

It is very sad that such a Bill would be put forth that goes against all the knowledge and best practice evidence about what society must do to minimize the impact of climate disruption. This Bill would set the province back decades and the damage that could be done to farm land, wetlands and lakes could be permanent.