I strongly oppose Bill 66 (…

I strongly oppose Bill 66 ("Restoring Ontario's Competitiveness Act 2018").

1. The bill attempts to override the official plans that municipalities worked hard, over decades, to create. Chaotic results. These official plans are designed to guide development to appropriate areas AND to protect water, natural heritage, farm land, and municipal authority in general. The province must not compel cities to break their own rules!

As well, these bylaws do not require public consultation, unlike the provincial laws they are supplanting. All this could happen in secret. This is undemocratic and underhanded. Citizens would have NO RECOURSE to appeal the bylaws via local planning appeal tribunal.

2. Drinking water. What if, as a result of Bill 66, a municipality experienced a crisis on the scale of Walkerton. Downloading the responsibility to the local level (by requiring these bylaws) is unconscionable. The province has no right to download the risk and responsibility for the toxic crises it will create.

3. Sprawl and farm land. This bill amounts to a handout to sprawl builders and developers. Sprawl NEVER PAYS FOR ITSELF. This will be a huge burden to municipalities (for services) with zero net benefit. Not to mention the loss of farmland, which is inherently valuable simply by virtue of it not being paved. Have you never heard of climate change?

4. Repealing the Toxics Reduction Act. WHAT ARE YOU CRAZY?

I could go on. But I will stop here and continue to work to stop this insane piece of legislation from passing.