I am concerned about the…

I am concerned about the recent uptick in the usage of MZOs do short-circuit the usual planning process, and this proposal that further enhances the Minister's authority to bypass good planning practices.

Development is effectively permanent; we can't rebuild wetlands, recover the topsoil, plant old-growth forests or build new heritage buildings. The normal process allows decisions to be made with far more input from stakeholders and assessment of the impact on those who will be most affected. Having the province regularly overrule all of that is worrying. I feel like unilateral decisions by the Minister do not necessarily take into account the full costs of a development project, including loss of greenspace, farmland, heritage, ecosystem services etc. Rather than enhancing MZOs to further accelerate development, narrower criteria should be developed to determine when provincial intervention is truly justified. The justification of "other recovery efforts (e.g., economic development and job creation)" is extremely vague and would mean MZOs can be used for just about any project. There may be cases where MZOs are necessary, but they should be few and far between.