Economic growth should not…

Economic growth should not come at the cost of environmental protection and Indigenous rights. All mining projects and major mine-related infrastructure (e.g. smelters, tailings ponds, etc.), especially open-pit mines, should be subject to comprehensive environmental assessment. The Environmental Assessment Act should be automatically applied to all major public and private sector undertakings as before, not just a select few as is being proposed here. Relying on “thresholds” or “triggers” is not a good way to assess whether a project should require environmental assessment. The length and/or size of a project is not an adequate measure of the risk that it poses to the surrounding people and environment. The public should be able to have a say in all environmentally-significant projects, whether public or private, and the only true way to tell whether a project is environmentally significant is to assess it comprehensively.

If any project is taking place on the traditional territory of an Indigenous nation, the proponent should be required to obtain free, prior, and informed consent from this community before moving forward. This process should be part of any good environmental assessment.

I wrote to the Premier to object to Bill 197 when it was tabled, I am outraged that it was passed with no opportunity for meaningful public input. The pandemic is no excuse for diminishing corporate and government accountability to the public. The Ontario government need to fulfill their obligations under the Environmental Bill of Rights!