I have significant concerns…

I have significant concerns about the introduction of open-for-business planning tool, and think that it is a dangerous piece of legislation that seriously erodes the environmental protections associated with development in Ontario. These environmental protections are sensible and any impact they have on the development industry is negligible relative to the benefit they give to the province. The open-for-business planning tool regulation, as described on the ERO website does nothing to make up for the environmental requirements enshrined under the Planning Act that the o-f-b planning tool removes. How will the o-f-b planning tool ensure that archaeological and heritage concerns associated with a development are addressed? If adopted by municipalities on a large-scale in Ontario, open-for-business planning tool will lead to the destruction of archaeological and heritage resources across the province at a rate not seen since the 1990s. To say nothing of the fact that removal of the archaeological triggers under the Planning Act will directly impact Indigenous communities right to be involved with mitigation of archaeological resources within their traditional territories. The provincial government is shortsightedly opening itself to significant long-term lawsuits that it will lose with this ill-conceived piece of legislation. It will cost the tax payers significant amounts of money, with the only benefit being enriching, in the very short term, a handful of wealthy investors in the development industry.