The proposed changes to the…

The proposed changes to the CA system don't make sense for streamlining approvals processes or ensuring that high quality work is done by either developers or reviewers. This is a mistake that will have massive negative consequences for the people of Ontario and the environment, including quality of farmland, drinking water, our tourism economy, and ecosystem services provided by natural areas like flood control.

Ontario CAs have been a model globally for high standards and best practices due to their structure, expertise, and local knowledge. Combining the CAs as proposed will increase bureaucracy while eliminating the components that make our CAs functional. This will cause timelines to be longer and the review process will be less effective. Probable consequences are plan approvals that will result in real irreversible harm to the environment and local people- pollution to soil and water, flooding, groundwater issues, harm to species at risk, less access to the outdoors, and higher costs to taxpayers in the short and long-term.

The criticism that our CAs are inconsistent with varied approval times and standards is not actually a negative thing. It reflects the values of local communities, the varied environmental conditions across Ontario, and that each proposed project is unique with its own set of variables for consideration.
Thoughtful review with the proper time taken is not a negative component of the system. A real solution would be funding CAs to have proper staffing- this would ensure expertise win evaluation and speed up timelines.

The proposal is not strategic long-term thinking for the good of Ontarians. It is reactionary groupthink of wealthy developers looking to take advantage of geopolitical fears, and our government should be ashamed of it. We should be holding developers to the highest possible standards for the good of Ontarians, not speeding up approvals processes that are short-sighted at best.