I believe that the Bill 66…

I believe that the Bill 66 legislation has several negative provisions and as such is ill-considered.

The proposed amendments to the Planning Act undermine a fundamental reason for its existence - protecting the environment. And part of environmental protection in Ontario is the Greenbelt. If the desire is to speed-up development, a much more thoughtful approach to overall planning and Greenbelt protection is required. What is proposed will require future governments to do what they can to repair damage already done, damage that will in many cases be irreparable. Jobs are important. However, with nearly full employment now, alongside decent environmental protection measures, there is no justification for changes proposed in Bill 66 that impose huge costs on future generations.

The same can be said for the proposed changes to the Clean Water Act, the Great Lakes Protection Act and the Toxics Reduction Act. The changes to the Clean Water Act for example, are likely to present the present government with a repeat of the tragic Walkerton situation.

My remark about current high rates of employment also call into question the need for proposed roll-backs of protections of workers in Employment Standards. They are not balanced since they give employers the upper hand.

In view of my comments, I call upon the Government to withdraw this unwarranted legislation and come up with well considered alternatives to deal with any real and concrete deficiencies in planning, environmental and labour legislation that may exist.