Schedule 3 of Bill 257…

Schedule 3 of Bill 257 illustrates a profound disregard for environmental protection, and public
consultation. Your government’s continued positive characterization of its use of MZOs as a means
of reducing red tape exhibits your distain not only for environmentalists, but also for the public's right to seek judicial review of government decisions. In many cases the Minister has used MZOs to authorize developments that pose a direct threat to the benefits provided by Ontario’s natural areas and farmland. Over 100 organizations have written to Minister Clark, expressing concern that Schedule 3 undermines the basis of Ontario land use planning, which rests on the shared commitment to the Provincial Policy Statement. I stand with these organizations, and wish to see an end to autocratic land use planning in Ontario.