Conservation Authorities’…

Conservation Authorities’ powers would be reduced to “managing flood water and erosion,” opening up natural areas for sale, “including endangered or threatened species habitat, wetlands, and areas of natural and scientific interest.” Wetlands reduce and prevent flooding and we have already lost two-thirds of southern Ontario’s to development and agriculture.
Planning decisions would now rest with lower-tier municipal governments, rather than under a co-ordinated plan, such as the Region of Waterloo Official Plan, that has been painstakingly created to manage development, curb urban sprawl, and co-ordinate infrastructure services such as public transit, water and sewage.
In a related announcement, the government introduced a Consultation on Proposed Changes to the Greenbelt, once again under the pretext of building more homes. Despite repeated and documented claims by this government that the Greenbelt will remain intact, the bill opens up the Greenbelt for business and threatens to turn it into “swiss cheese” by swapping Greenbelt land with other land, often land that is already protected.

The Ontario Greenbelt was created to protect farmland, wetlands, recreational areas and watersheds, as well as providing a continuous connected habitat for wildlife and resilience to climate change. From an economic standpoint alone, the area is home to 180,000 jobs and almost $10 million in economic activity. Add to that the free ecosystem services that provide clean water and flood control.

SAVE OUR WETLANDS. What are you thinking? Don't you care about your children's future?