The Province of Ontario’s…

The Province of Ontario’s proposed Bill 66 allows for provincial intervention to remove or weaken protections on safe drinking water, agricultural lands, and democratic consultation.

In 1989, toxic chemicals were found in the groundwater underneath the Uniroyal Chemical site in Elmira. Experts say it will be decades before Elmira's water is safe to drink again. Bill 66 would allow the Province to override the Region of Waterloo’s Official Plan policies that were established to prevent similar toxic destruction of our drinking water. Limiting sprawl is of particular importance in Waterloo Region, where 75% of drinking water comes from aquifers located just beyond the Countryside Line.

Today, more than half of the Region's growth comes from building in existing urban areas. This investment in our urban centres means we can keep growing while preserving the rural communities and farms that make Waterloo Region unique. While I am using Waterloo Region as an example of the negative implications of the proposed bill, other regions within Southern Ontario would be impacted similarly and very negatively.

Planning exemptions granted under Bill 66 would not require notification or consultation with residents. These proposed changes fly in the face of good governance. The Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (currently being revised as Bill C-69 as the Impact Assessment Act) is already being criticized for its lack of public consultation and public participation. While this act is federal, the fact remains that the public need to be involved and well-involved in development decisions that will impact their region and the environmental services provided by the area. There should be no exemption for providing notifications to residents. In fact, there should be better provisions to provide notification, consultation, and active participation of residents.

I, therefore, reject Bill 66’s implicit suggestion that to grow the economy and add jobs we must accept environmental degradation, pave over farms, and risk the health of our families. Not to mention jeopardizing the lives of future generations of Ontario residents.