The "Proposed Updates to the…

The "Proposed Updates to the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System" are poorly thought out and should be scrapped. The Updates, as presently worded, would include:

* Wetland units that are part of a Provincially Significant Wetland (PSW) complex can be re-
evaluated individually. Those units can be removed from the PSW. This leaves it up to
consultants, hired by developers, to recommend if wetlands should lose protected status.
* Wetland boundaries can be remapped without having to re-evaluate the entire wetland.
* OMNRF is removed from the process, leaving all decisions in the hands of local municipalities.
* Conservation Authorities (CA’s) will be prohibited from being contracted by municipalities to
comment on Acts, including the Planning Act.  Therefore, the ability of conservation authorities
to provide natural heritage comments to the City on planning applications may now be
prohibited.
* All Conservation Authorities (CA’s) must tell the government which lands they own that would
be suitable for housing.
* No permits are needed if Planning Act authorization obtained, and new tools are proposed for
the government to force CA’s to issue permits whether or not development meets
environmental policies and environmental best practices.

The proposed updates completely remove those government bodies with the skills and experience to evaluate lands and waters (OMNRF, the CAs) from the process, while handing rights to scientifically inexperienced municipal councils and to consultants hired by developers, whose decisions are often a foregone conclusion. This is a terrible idea!