The PPS and associated…

The PPS and associated legislation were developed in fulfillment of, amongst other things, international treaties for the protection of migratory birds and endangered species. Provincial and federal legislation direct us to protect habitats to ensure a future for both. If Ontario decides that it wants a member of cabinet to be able to over-rule the PPS for purposes of allowing "development" in its most banal form--more subdivisions and industrial parks, it will represent a significant breach of trust not only with the taxpayers of Ontario, but also with humankind as we share this planet and depend upon an ecosystem comprising many habitats and species.

Envision a future without migratory birds, that eat the bugs, that infest our crops, that sustain us. Or, envision a future without wetlands and forests, that retain and moderate water and CO2 levels, that help mitigate flooding and drought, that protect and sustain us. It is only by putting in place and using tools like the PPS that we can protect what remains and ensure that the legacy we leave is one worth living for. Have we not seen enough destruction this past year with COVID? Let's leave nature alone. If COVID has taught us nothing else, it is that we need our open spaces and natural places to nurture and feed our souls. I do not want the Minister of something deciding that these are not important values worth protecting because someone with lobbying strength wants to build something.