I am a resident in the…

I am a resident in the Region of Waterloo and I am concerned about the open for business planning by-law. I am in support of cutting red tape and stimulating business opportunities, however i am not in support of this at the expense of environmental protections and public consultation. Specifically, i am opposed to the section of the proposal that would " Remove the requirement for decisions to strictly adhere to provincial policies and provincial plans (but allow the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to impose conditions to protect matters like public health and safety when endorsing the use of the tool)".

I think you should either take this point out of the Bill entirely, or you should include specific exceptions into the text saying "Remove the requirement for decisions to strictly adhere to provincial policies and provincial plans with the exception of the Greenbelt Act, The Oak Ridges Moraine Act, the Niagara Escarpment Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Great Lakes Protection Act (but allow the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to impose conditions to protect matters like public health and safety when endorsing the use of the tool)." The five Acts i have listed are those that i am most concerned that this open-for-business by-law tool would weaken. These do not cause unnecessary red-tape, these are integral and necessary to public health and well-being.

I am also concerned about the removal of requirements for public consultation, specifically the text that states "Allow public consultation at the discretion of the municipality, while requiring public notice after the by-law is passed (at a minimum);". Public consultation doesn't ultimately limit the opening of new businesses (the public comments themselves hold no ultimate or final decision-making power) so I think at a bare minimum allowing the public to provide input before final decisions are made is critical to a democratic planning process. Input matters, and saying that public input is "just red tape" is dishonest and untrue.

Thank you for considering these comments seriously.
- City of Kitchener Resident