I have significant concerns…

I have significant concerns about the introduction of open-for-business by-laws, and think that they are a dangerous piece of legislation that seriously erodes the environmental protections associated with development in Ontario. These environmental protections are sensible and any impact they have on the development industry is negligible relative to the benefit they give to the province. If Municipalities no longer have to adhere to Official Plans or Provincial Policies and Plans, this functionally removes the legislative trigger for archaeological or heritage assessment in Ontario under the Planning Act. PPS 2014, and the archaeology and heritage policies it contains, will no longer apply. Archaeology and heritage policies within a municipal Official Plan will no longer apply. These are the two main regulatory triggers leading to archaeological and heritage assessments under the Planning Act. If adopted by municipalities on a large-scale in Ontario, open-for-business by-laws will lead to the destruction of archaeological and heritage resources across the province at a rate not seen since the 1990s. How will the province ensure that archaeological and heritage resources of provincial concern are not destroyed without the required assessment? To say nothing of the fact that removal of the archaeological trigger will directly impact Indigenous communities right to be involved with mitigation of archaeological resources within their traditional territories. The provincial government is shortsightedly opening itself to significant long-term lawsuits that it will lose with this ill-conceived piece of legislation. It will cost the tax payers significant amounts of money, with the only benefit being enriching, in the very short term, a handful of wealthy investors in the development industry.