To whom it may concern, My…

To whom it may concern,

My name is Emma, and I am concerned about the proposed regulations as put forward in this section of Bill 17 for several reasons.

Firstly, the power to regulate which studies are required for development applications is in the hands of municipalities for a reason. Ontario is an extremely diverse province; landscapes, local economies, wildlife populations, and demographics differ greatly from municipality to municipality. Because of this, certain municipalities will have concerns that may not be shared by others.

For example, the town of Gravenhurst in Muskoka is subject to a bylaw regulating outdoor lighting sources. While this may seem unnecessary to someone without local knowledge, Gravenhurst is actually situated next to an internationally recognized dark sky preserve (Torrance Barrens), a major driver of tourism and a conservation area for species at risk, such as the five-lined skink, eastern ribbon snake, and many others. The unique quality of complete nighttime darkness supports a rare and important habitat for wildlife in the area.

Essentially, by giving the power to regulate which studies are necessary for development applications to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, you are taking the power away from municipal leaders who have a level of specialized local knowledge that the Minister does not, and cannot share.

Secondly, the notion that removing certain studies from development application requirements will speed up development efforts is, in my view, ill-conceived. Municipalities have documents, policies, and systems in place that inform the development process and its requirements, all of which will need to be updated, amended, and approved by council and approval bodies before any change can be made. By mandating these changes, the Minister will trigger a bureaucratic overhaul of development application systems, creating a backlog for development approvals. This is counterproductive and will slow development.

In summary, Ontario is a multi-faceted province with great diversity across its municipalities. By standardizing the requirements for development studies, the Minister overlooks this diversity and puts communities at risk of improper development that may be harmful to the environment, local wildlife, health and safety, and overall community wellbeing. We should allow local decision makers to maintain the power to make the decisions for the communities they know, and were elected to plan and protect.