As a young water sciences…

As a young water sciences professional working in the field of Coastal Stewardship and Management, and someone who's read the proposed amendments to the Planning Act- I do not support the proposed amendments.

In the context of Southern Ontario, where development (residential, commercial, industrial etc.) along with heavy agriculture dominate our landscape the province should be prioritizing the protection of our natural resources. The natural features left in Southern Ontario (which are very limited in the GTA and Southwestern ON) provide ecosystem services such as water and air purification, flood retention, and help with erosion control amongst others.

Protecting drinking water sources against significant threats makes long-term economic sense (not to mention the health and safety aspect), source protection efforts help reduce the need for Municipalities to add (or enhance) expensive technologies or attempt to restore or clean-up contaminated drinking water sources, or build new drinking water infrastructure to draw supplies from alternative sources.

Smart, long-term economic growth is possible in comparison to short-term economic and political gain.

Sincerely,
A concerned water resources professional.