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If the province continues on this path, ‘the environment is in imminent danger of disaster,’ the letter writer said
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Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act, reflects a long line of legislation designed to eliminate years of environmental protections, regulations, guidelines and mandates.
Since the Doug Ford government came to power, they have tabled several bills that echo the perverse path of environmental deregulation — Bill 66, the Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act; Bill 108, the More Homes, More Choice Act; Bill 132, the Better for People, Smarter for Business Act; and Bill 197, the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act.
Ford also filed Bill 245, the Accelerating Access to Justice Act. According to Michael Spratt in his article titled ‘Doug Ford uses pandemic as cover for partisan changes to judicial appointment process,’ Spratt explained that Doug Downey’s Bill 245 “has little to do with improving access to justice. It is a transparent Trojan Horse for partisan judicial appointments and weakens environmental protections.”
Again, Ford and his parcel of rogues say changes are needed to speed up access to justice.
Environmental friendliness is the mantra of the current out-of-control government, in my opinion.
Ford and his band of iconoclastic warriors didn’t stop there, though.
On June 1, 2021, under the authority of Section 2 of the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) Act, 2021, the OLT was born. The law consolidated the Board of Negotiation under the Expropriations Act, and continued the Conservation Review Board, the Environmental Review Tribunal, the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal and the Mining and Lands Tribunal, as the OLT.
Shortly after Ontario’s five land tribunals were folded under the OLT, there was an immediate and widespread call to abolish the newly formed OLT. In total, at least 28 municipalities out of 444 have taken steps to abolish the OLT.
Call me cynical, but all of the moves Ford has introduced in recent years fundamentally undermine the safeguards, checks and balances that are at the heart of our democratic system.
Environmental deregulation is hurting us right here in Oro-Medonte. In 2014, the council passed bylaw No. 2014-127 — Horseshoe Craighurst Corridor Master Plan Funding Agreement Bylaw. Embedded within this law is Article 10.5, which states, “If any person applies to the minister of the environment and climate change for an order under Part II of the Environmental Assessment Act in respect of any notice of completion of the -study provided by the completion of the master plan, the township shall provide reasonable assistance to the owners to support the conclusions of the master plan and shall consult with the owners to determine the appropriate role of the township in responding to such request to the minister.” In essence, the council in 2014 warned anyone challenging the law that the town was ready to fight.
Therefore, on Feb. 1, 2020, some Part IIs have been registered with the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP). A Part II request is a complaint process where individuals or groups can petition the government about plans that may harm the environment in some way.
Well, Ford eliminated this process in the summer of 2020. In a letter to me personally, the MECP said, “All Part II order requests that are reviewed that are not related to potential adverse effects on Aboriginal or treaty rights protected by the constitution, the request is terminated.”
My Part II request relates to Oro-Medonte’s master plan, which outlines a proposal to dump treated sewage into the Coldwater River on Oro-Medonte’s Line 6.
Since I stated that the master plan could have a potential and adverse effect on Indigenous rights or treaties protected by the constitution, the MECP gave me the opportunity to clarify my position. I am hardly qualified to defend the treaty rights of Indigenous Peoples, but I have done my best to uncover maps dating back over 300 years.
In a letter from the MECP, they again concluded my Part II by saying, “The project area is located outside the area recognized as being within the Nanfan Treaty 1701. The ministry conducted an analysis to identify indigenous communities if where there is a duty Consultation may arise regarding the project and the list of Indigenous communities is provided to the proponent.”
I personally believe that more work needs to be done in this area, but it is beyond my scope of understanding and expertise. Suffice it to say, no one I spoke with during the current election cycle was thrilled with the idea of waste from hundreds of homes entering the Coldwater River system.
If Ford, Downey, Jill Dunlop and others get their way, the environment is in imminent danger of disaster. Even the government’s own auditor general has warned that green spaces such as wetlands, woods, and meadows are rapidly declining.
Ford and his parcel of rogues are at war with the environment.
It’s time we speak up before it’s too late, as David Suzuki has been warning for the better part of 40 years.
Wake up, Ontario.
Tim Taylor
Oro Medonte
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