The title of the bill is a…

Numéro du REO

013-4293

Identifiant (ID) du commentaire

17858

Commentaire fait au nom

Individual

Statut du commentaire

Commentaire

The title of the bill is a perfect example of Orwellian doublethink. We are to make the province more competitive by reducing our ability to provide environmental protection. Just look at your own data on the dollar value of tourism to Ontario provided here: http://www.mtc.gov.on.ca/en/research/econ_impact/econ_impact.shtml
It would seem probable that billions of dollars of tourism income will be lost if the environmental regulations are relaxed to the extent this bill suggests and that this could reduce Ontario Provincial Government tax income by up to 5 billion per annum. Note that the impacts will be felt quite strongly in parts of the province which have a greater proportion of their revenue from tourism and with a large number of jobs dependent upon tourism.

It is also worth noting that environmental damage is often permanent - or costs far more to repair than the funds that were obtained from performing the damage in the first place. We still do not have a solution to the mercury pollution at Grassy Narrows. How much will that cost to clear up? How much has it already cost in terms of livelihoods and health care costs? See one report on this subject here:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/grassy-narrows-health-report…

There is already considerable concern about a repeat of the Walkerton disaster.