Regarding Bill 66, Restoring…

Regarding Bill 66, Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act, 2018

I am writing to express my opposition to Bill 66 which if passed will have devastating effects on our natural environment, our farming communities and our quality of life. I am a resident of Cavan Monaghan Township which encompasses sections of both the Greenbelt and the Oak Ridges Moraine.

The Greenbelt, which has been protected since 2005, is a priceless public resource providing clean drinking water, fresh air, local food, and endless recreational opportunities.

The Greenbelt is an important public asset that is held and protected in trust for the benefit of our children’s children’s children. The Greenbelt represents our hope of leaving a sustainable community for future generations to thrive in.

It’s not just the Greenbelt that is threatened. Bill 66 will also allow development projects to sidestep environmental and community protections currently mandated by the Clean Water Act, the Great Lakes Protection Act and the Lake Simcoe Protection Act.

Bill 66 is Doug Ford’s pay back to developers that supported his election. It will cut red tape and allow projects to go ahead without public consultation and so it is not only an exploitation of our land resources, but also a great diminishing of our democratic resources, our rights and tools to shape our future.

Under Bill 66 lands currently protected such as the Greenbelt could be rezoned by local municipal councils for development without any public notification.

Bill 66 will allow the Province to exempt major economic development projects from any requirement to comply with select planning, environmental and clean water laws, and once these projects have Provincial approvals there will be no appeal process.

I urge the government of Ontario not pass Bill 66 and at a minimum I endorse the following public interest recommendation:

“Remove Schedule 10 from Bill 66, which allows municipalities to override provisions in the Greenbelt Act, Clean Water Act, Lake Simcoe Act, Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Act and Great Lakes Protection Act.”

I hope that the province does not sell out Ontario's natural heritage to the highest bidder.