I do NOT support Bill 66, as…

I do NOT support Bill 66, as it threatens to erode our environment, human health, and democracy. Schedule 10 of Bill 66 would allow municipalities to create an “open for business planning by-law” to allow developers to ignore environmental laws and protections that are in place for a good reason. Developers should not be allowed to bypass the 2005 Green Belt Act Act (which protects 2 million acres of farms, natural areas and water sources), the the 2001 Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Act, the 2006 Clean Water Act (which is in place to prevent tragedies such as the E. coli outbreak in Walkerton), the 2015 Great Lakes Protection Act, and the 2008 Lake Simcoe Protection Act. Furthermore, I do not support removing the 2009 Toxins Reduction Act which protects and informs consumers from harmful toxins. And allowing by-laws to be passed without meeting the legal requirement to ensure fair, consistent, transparent public engagement with land use in communities-- as laid out in Schedule 10 of Bill 66-- is not democracy. This Bill puts our land, water, wildlife, health, and natural heritage at risk, and undermines evidence-based city planning.

Once we degrade our environment there is no going back, and I do not support short term profits for a few over the long term sustainability of our communities and our planet for all.