Dear Editor:
With its proposal to create Bill 66, Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act, our new government has shown it is prepared to allow business to take precedence over the safety and well being of its citizens. It obviously believes, if one reads Section 10 of the proposed bill, that such legislation as the Clean Water Act, the Great Lakes Water Act, the Greenbelt Act, the Oak Ridges Moraine Act, the Places to Grow Act or the Lake Simcoe Protection Act are trivialities that need be ignored in 2019.
Under the guise of cutting red tape, Schedule 10 is a full-scale assault on the environment. Big business will be able to factor out the health and quality of life of ordinary Ontarians in its operations as long as it creates new employment.
However, the government should remember, “those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” There are seven families still grieving in Walkerton due to the policies of a previous Conservative government. At least that government was able to plead pitiable ignorance; this government will only be able to plead willful neglect if it pursues enacting the proposed policy.
What is shocking is that the provincial government proposes to have the municipalities do the “heavy lifting” to bring about these changes. It will be their task to ignore all environmental protection as they allow local developers, who promise the creation of new jobs, an open door. The provincial government will simply provide the automatic rubber stamp of approval.
Also troublesome is that a municipality can potentially agree to a new land development in secret, with no public input or discussion. Once this is done, and the minister has applied his rubber stamp, there is no recourse. It cannot be appealed to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT). It will be a fait accompli; the approval will be final.
The municipality will then make the decision known to the public within 30 days in any manner it sees fit. Of course, the key to developing any of that land lies with the individual municipal councillor for it will be he or she who will make the decision to by-pass the current environmental protection statutes.
Contrary to what Premier Doug Ford said prior to the recent election, all indications are that he is prepared to decimate the Greenbelt and jeopardize the safety of our groundwater supply by allowing new development on environmentally protected land. He has misled the people of Ontario. His explanations ring hollow and the perception is that he is bending to the will of a small but powerful lobby.
He has obviously not yet given thought to the fact many people in Ontario are simply not going to allow him to pursue this course of action. Already the cities of Burlington and Hamilton have indicated that they will not be parties to the reversal of Ontario’s hard won fight for meaningful environmental protection. Indications are that it will only be a matter of time before other municipalities follow suit.
Mike Shackleford,
Belwood