I am very concerned about…

I am very concerned about the changes proposed in this Bill 66. The changes that most concern me have to do with the environmental impact of opening up lands and 'development' without requiring regulation and review. 'Reducing red tape' is a very broad goal, and there are times when red tape is necessary to ensure that proposals are following regulations that protect people from the effect of those proposals.

When we put business development ahead of health and environmental priorities, everyone suffers. Reducing regulation in so many places is concerning to me:

- why are we reducing the requirements on the number of children allowed in daycares? Are there studies indicating that our current cap is unreasonable and that more children per adult will still be safe and effective for the children included? The purpose (to provide more space for more children) is not justified if those spaces result in over worked staff and unsafe environments. Perhaps instead more funds can be put to daycare spaces in Ontario so that there is a business incentive to create more daycares that are properly regulated, where number of children is capped, and where staff are properly compensated for their work.

- opening up land for development: there is plenty of land in municipalities that are already available for development with existing zoning and regulations. In Hamilton, Ontario, we have former industrial parks that are empty of business and are ripe for development by business. These lands are within existing infrastructure of the city, meaning that electrical, water, sewage, etc. services are already in place for those spaces. I cannot support opening up Greenbelt land or farmland for rezoning and development when those lands are non-recoverable, and necessary for the health of our citizens in the long-term.

- reducing red tape is generally a euphemism for reducing regulation. In the areas of air, water, education, food regulation, worker's safety, regulation is meant to keep people safe, healthy, and to preserve our systems for years to come. I do not support de-regulation without clear evidence-based research behind it. I do not feel that this government has done that work to justify these changes.