I wish to comment on Bill 66…

I wish to comment on Bill 66, specifically in relation to the proposed Schedule 10.

I am a member of several nature clubs, and a retired business analyst. I have lived in Pickering for over 30 years, and commuted to my office in Markham through greenbelt and agricultural lands between 1988 and 2016, where I experienced the growing sprawl of the GTA.

I am opposed to Schedule 10.

My specific concerns are:

1. Section 10 imperils wetlands, woodlands and habitat for species at risk across Ontario. In the GTA area where I live (Durham Region), it puts the ecological integrity of the Greenbelt at risk.

2. The province has floated the suggestion that no public notice or hearing is required prior to passing an open-for-business bylaw. The proposal for municipalities to request an “open-for-business” tool (by-law) will allow local governments to negotiate secret deals with businesses and developers (including, I have no doubt, housing developers) in back-rooms without transparency.

3. Allowing municipalities to sidestep decades of planning and consultation will lead to a patchwork of standards across the region. Municipalities compete with each other for jobs and housing development. If Pickering sees an opportunity to use Bill 66 Section 10 provisions to get an advantage over other towns and cities, they will use it. There will be a sprawling checkerboard of development – industrial and residential – spreading into today’s green spaces and farmland.

4. Schedule 10 will let municipalities - without transparency, public engagement or citizen recourse – overturn current policies for land use that have been developed over many decades for the effective protection, management and development of our provincial lands.

5. Schedule 10, as proposed, gives municipal governments the back-room tools and incentives to swap out agricultural land and natural areas on the greenbelt for industrial land and housing sprawl. I share the concerns of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, this is a direct attack on the family farm businesses in Ontario.

6. Some municipal governments and politicians have a history of concerning relationships and deals with developers. For example, I refer to the situation in Pickering related to the agricultural preserve easements which were lifted by the city in 2005 without public notice or consultation in an effort to allow development in the Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve. Legal action by the province was required to correct Pickering’s secret deals with the land speculators. Refer to - https://www.pressreader.com/canada/toronto-star/20051101/281917358476766 and Toronto Star April 21, 2005 Page B1 for more information on Pickering's history in this regard. I have attached the supporting link and 2 image files from the Toronto Star.