Protect ravines and wetlands
Join an urgent push to get Schedule 6 removed to protect Conservation Authorities in Ontario.
The provincial government is voting SOON on a budget bill, Bill 229. Bill 229 is going to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs on Monday, Nov 30.
The Conservative government has included Schedule 6 which is unrelated to the budget. There are numerous changes proposed – they would slash the role of Conservation Authorities (CA), disabling their role in ravine protection and enabling developers to sidestep Conservation Authorities and go directly to the Minister for permits without CA review. The Minister would also be able to overturn a conservation authority’s decision to refuse to issue a permit for development.
Schedule 6 removes CA’s abilities to appeal municipal planning decisions and introduces new rights for developers to force fast-tracking of development approvals and to appeal decisions they do not like, without providing the same opportunity to citizens who may wish to challenge decisions that damage the environment.
The changes challenge the basic scientific premise of water management – that watersheds are shared resources. Management for them is a responsibility that must be shared between municipalities. One of the changes is to require municipal representatives to govern based on the potentially narrow needs/wishes of a municipality. Persons who are appointed to a Conservation Authority are required to take a watershed perspective. In many cases, they are regional councillors, responsible for looking at the bigger picture. This premise is fundamental to conservation authority governance, and the enormous success of conservation authorities in Ontario since their establishment in 1946.
Consultations that have taken place in the past year regarding the Conservation Authorities and potential changes to the legislation have not been summarized and made available to the public. The government must be as transparent in its work as they are requiring of others.
Time is of the essence. Before irretrievable damage is done, we urge you to request the Premier and the Minister responsible for CAs to pull this back. As we face so many issues resulting from the pandemic, rushing this through undermines our collective credibility.
Please join Ontario Nature in asking the government to withdraw Schedule 6, in its entirety, from Bill 229.
Use the link above to send an email to all of the following:
- Hon. Rod Philips, Minister of Finance,
- Hon. Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing,
- Hon. John Yakabuski, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry,
- Hon. Jeff Yurek, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks,
- Your local MPP.
The vital role of our Conservation Authorities in watershed-based land use planning and permitting must be retained to prevent unchecked development that puts communities at risk from flooding and other climate change impacts through loss of wetlands, woodlands and farmland. Given how quickly Bill 229 is likely to move through the Legislature, we need to act together – quickly and decisively. Learn more: Watch the CELA webinar.
The Federation of Urban Neighbourhoods has submitted the following letter to the Ontario Government:
November 28, 2020
Ontario Legislature
Attention: Julia Douglas, Committee Clerk
RE: Bill 229: Budget Measures – Schedule 6 – Conservation Authorities.
Dear Chair Amarjot Sandhu, MPP and Members, Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs
This is to express our opposition to Schedule 6 to the Budget Measures Bill. Schedule 6 is unrelated to the Budget and appears to be placed there in a duplicitous effort to make changes “under cover of COVID-19”. Numerous changes are proposed which would slash the role of Conservation Authorities (CAs), disabling their role in ravine protection, and enabling developers to sidestep Conservation Authorities, and go directly to the Minister for permits without CA review.
The changes challenge the basic scientific premise of water management – that watersheds are shared resources. Management for them is a responsibility that must be shared between municipalities. One of the changes is to require municipal representatives to govern based on the potentially narrow needs/wishes of a municipality. Persons who are appointed to a Conservation Authority are required to take a watershed perspective. In many cases, they are regional councillors, responsible for looking at the bigger picture. This premise is fundamental to conservation authority governance, and a major reason for the enormous success of conservation authorities in Ontario since their establishment in 1946.
Consultations have taken place in the past year regarding the Conservation Authorities but potential changes to the legislation have not been summarized and made available to the public. The Government must be as transparent in its work as they are requiring of others.
Before irretrievable damage is done, we urge the Standing Committee to recommend to the Government that they pull this legislation back. As we face so many issues resulting from the pandemic, rushing this through undermines the Government’s credibility.
Respectfully submitted,
Geoff Kettel
President
c.c. Premier, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks