As a resident of Ontario, I…

As a resident of Ontario, I am outraged by the fast tracking of Bill 17. This bill is being pushed through with no meaningful consultation, no transparency, and no respect for the people who live in the communities it will irreversibly impact. It is an attack on local democracy, on public trust, and on the very foundations of responsible city building.

Planning decisions shape our daily lives, where we live, how we move, how safe we feel, and whether we have access to clean air, green space, and essential services. These decisions must be made with the input of residents, local planners, engineers, and experts who understand the needs of their communities, not by provincial decree behind closed doors.

Bill 17 dismantles the planning tools that municipalities rely on to protect our health, environment, and long-term affordability. Green development standards are not red tape, they are essential safeguards. They ensure new developments are energy efficient, resilient to climate change, and designed to support the well-being of the people who live there. The provincial building code does not come close to meeting these needs. Without local standards, we are left with heat traps, flooding risks, and buildings that are costly to heat and cool.

Developers will profit from these weakened rules, but it is the public that will be left picking up the pieces. Municipalities, already overstretched and underfunded, will be forced to fill the gaps, paying for stormwater upgrades, emergency response, failing infrastructure, and the health impacts of poor planning. These are real, expensive consequences, and they fall on the shoulders of taxpayers.

This bill also puts our precious urban green spaces at risk. These are not luxuries, they are lifelines. Trees, parks, and natural areas help us breathe, cool our cities during extreme heat, and offer safe, accessible spaces for everyone, especially children, seniors, and those without backyards. Once they are gone, they are gone.

And let us stop pretending this bill supports housing affordability. True affordability means more than the price of a unit. It is about being able to afford your energy bills, access public transit, walk to a grocery store, and live in a neighbourhood where your kids can safely play. Well planned, complete communities do all of this, and they create long-term economic prosperity by attracting jobs, investment, and opportunity.

Bill 17 is reckless. It sacrifices our health, our environment, and our future for short-term political gain. I urge the government to withdraw this bill and commit to a fair, open planning process that respects local voices, values long-term thinking, and puts people, not profit, first.