As I scan the proposals…

As I scan the proposals being proposed by the Ontario Government it is very obvious to me that the chief beneficiaries of these changes are once again big business and land developers. I don't see anything of substance that will benefit workers or their families. In fact, quite the opposite. With the removal of employer obligations to their employees, in the guise of eliminating "red tape", workers are having their workplace protections and their right to be informed of their worker rights by employers reduced even further. If adopted, these proposals can only promote more employer control of the workplace and working conditions at the expense of a workforce that is doing it's best to survive in a business climate that unfairly demands more and more of the worker in return for ever dwindling wages and benefits at a time when the cost of living in our province is increasing unabated. The obvious goal here is to once again increase business profits regardless of the implications for the workers, without whom, businesses would not exist. With these proposals the government is abdicating it's sworn duty to act in the best interests of the people, choosing instead to placate the business community demands for fewer restricts to enable increased exploitation of their staff in the guise of reducing "red tape" which, not coincidentally, will result in these businesses adding to their profit margins. By any measure, these proposed changes can only be seen as regressive in the extreme and one more indication of this government's determination to force wrong-headed draconian measures on the public at many levels.

At a time when the world is teetering on the brink of climate change disaster, I find it particularly egregious that this government is systematically removing the environmental protections, as scant as they were, that were put in place with the goal of mitigating the effects of global warming. The Premier's decision to reverse any efforts in that direction not only flies in the face of all available evidence to the contrary, it is seen by many Ontarians as a crime against the welfare of the people and the environment. As a long term economic policy these regressive actions reflect a fundamental failure of this government and Mr. Ford to recognize and accept scientific reality and act accordingly! The economic costs of climate change in terms of property and infrastructure destruction in this province are already soaring and promise to increase substantially should global warming continue unabated. Inevitably, these expenses will become unsustainable and Ontarians will have no option but to deal with the economic outcomes of climate change as best they can. This scenario does not bode well for maintaining an orderly society in which law and order prevails and people have some sense of security and hope for a return to living conditions as we know them now. Mr. Ford's dismantling of environmental protections in this province represents not only societal suicide, it fosters alarming doubt concerning his worthiness to occupy the highest political office in our province. His willingness to ignore reality on many fronts will be the undoing of everything that once made Ontario the envy of many other jurisdictions in this country.

And now, his return to a scheme to turn the Green Belt over to vested private interests for exploitation completely beggars any sense that he feels any responsibility for the well being of the citizens who will be impacted, or any understanding of the ecological outcomes that will surely follow this regrettable decision. The people of Ontario have clearly voiced their condemnation any such action in the Green Belt in the past. But here we are again, forced to resist an option that is not in the best interests of the people nor the environment. No means no, Mr. Premier, what part of that is giving you a problem? Or is this just another device to placate the avaricious goals of developers and the business community to garner political support for your political agenda? Is that your true hidden agenda, sir? Because in view of all your irresponsible decisions since you've taken office and the abysmal lack of transparency in your governance, that's the only possible conclusion I can come to. As with so many of your decisions, there is absolutely no logic involved with this one. In years to come, if this ploy is successful, it will be seen as the thin edge of the wedge that enabled the destruction of the Green Belt in its entirety. Because once they get a toehold, we all know that the developers will be back to the table again and again with alleged "sound business reasons" to continue the destruction that you began with your irresponsible decision to allow them to exploit the Green Belt, even on a limited basis! These corporations have no allegiance to anything or anybody other than increased profits, so you can rest assured that they'll be back if you give them their way this time. That is an undeniable fact with consideration the historical record of business exploitation of our natural resources in this province.

I understand the need for affordable housing, but at what cost to the environment and our economy? The Green Belt is not only a sacred ecological space to be protected, it is also the generator of many millions of dollars of revenue every year and widely acknowledged as a major "Bread Basket" for the province; which helps us preserve the independence of our food supply, along with the price advantage we enjoy because the Green Belt reduces the necessity for Ontarians to pay premium prices for food imported from other areas of Canada, the U.S. and far away international countries. Obviously, many of the productive farms now operating in the Green Belt will need to be expropriated to accommodate this housing project, throwing a great many agricultural workers out of work along with the farm owners, some of whom have been tilling the land they inherited from their ancestors for generations.

This proposal makes no sense on an any level Mr. Premier! Surely, there has to be a more sustainable solution to the affordable housing issue that doesn't involve the disastrous outcomes that exploitation of the Green Belt for business purposes will bring. And, is it not the duty of government to do the hard work required to find those viable solutions on behalf of all the people of the province? The negative impacts of this ill-conceived concept will become evident very quickly, but the long term repercussions will only been seen with the passage of time, some of them, long after we've all turned to dust. Which side of history to you want to be on Mr. Premier? And, if you've given it any thought at all, what do you want to leave behind as your Legacy for future generations? You have an extraordinary opportunity here to do the honourable thing for Ontarians now living as well as for future generations of Ontarians! I urge to to summon up the determination to find another solution to this housing issue that doesn't depend on this short term band-aid "fix"to the problem. The studies were concluded long ago and the evidence that this is a bad idea is clear. There is a great deal riding on your decision on this matter for all of us. I urge you to take a serious second look at this issue and do what's best for our environment, our economy and the people of Ontario. Frankly, anything less will be seen as unacceptable by millions of Ontarians! And I dare to remind you that that is not the pathway that leads to reelection for anyone in the political arena, regardless of how the facts are spun by Election Committees. The electorate is becoming more and more aware that they are being endlessly manipulated by the people they put in power to protect them and, contrary to the popular belief of many politicians, they have a very long memory when it comes to fundamental decisions that were not made in the best interests of themselves and their families. Politics is not a "game" to the public, it's the one the thing that affects almost every facet their lives and their future well being. They're exhausted and impatient with an unjust status-quo that excludes them from a political decision process that is making personal progress almost unattainable. They've come to expect much more openness and straight forward honesty from politicians at every level of government. Any would-be office holder would be well advised to keep that in mind during his/her next run for a place in the halls of power. The worm is beginning to turn!
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