The Glebe Annex Community…

The Glebe Annex Community Association in Ottawa joins the chorus of Ontarians who are opposed to Bill 66. Under the guise of ‘cutting red tape’, this Bill would undermine environmental safeguards and the health of Ontarians, as we would lose important protections for water, wildlife and sensitive natural features set out in the Planning Act, the Greenbelt Act, the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Act, the Great Lakes Protection Act, the Lake Simcoe Protection Act, the Clean Water Act, the Toxics Reduction Act, and more.

This legislation exists for a reason. The Clean Water Act, for instance, helps protect municipal drinking water from threats such as landfills, sewage systems and improper handling of fuel, manure and pesticides. It was created to prevent another Walkerton tragedy – the contamination of drinking water sickened more than 2,000 people and resulted in six deaths.

Bill 66 also undermines democracy. The associated by-laws could be passed without public notice or meetings and cannot be appealed to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal. They don’t even need to be consistent with municipal Official Plans, which are developed in close consultation with community leaders and stakeholders.

These “open-for-business by-laws” would bypass legal requirements intended to ensure fair, consistent and transparent public engagement with land use decisions in our communities. They present industry with a back door to develop properties in protected places like the Greenbelt, and threaten the long-term health and resilience of our communities and their residents. We stand firmly opposed.