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​Bill 23: It’s not too late to make your voice heard

Letter to the EditorBy: Letter to the Editor  February 4, 2023
​Bill 23: It’s not too late to make your voice heard
To the Editor:

Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022, received Royal Assent, Nov. 28, 2022, amid widespread public condemnation and opposition.

The issue of the provincial government's autocratic changes to development and conservation of agricultural and protected lands, has a lot of citizens rightfully upset. It’s galling to think we elected new municipal governments Oct. 24, to address local concerns, and the very next day, the province introduced Bill 23 and effectively stripped municipalities of their jurisdiction over land use.

We wonder whose interests are being served by Ontario premier Doug Ford reversing his 2018 promise to protect the Greenbelt and we're very worried that Ontario is going in the wrong direction with regard to preserving biodiversity and our natural landscape.

Investigations by Ontario’s auditor general and integrity commissioner and possible intervention by the federal government’s environment minister, give us some cause for hope. However, it’s really up to us, Ontario’s citizens, to raise our voices in support of protecting farmland and environmentally-sensitive areas and all the species that have no voice.

In our little towns and rural neighbourhoods, we may feel rather removed from the fight, and attending a rally in downtown Toronto is not an easy endeavour, particularly in winter months. Yet, the effects of damage to the Greenbelt soon spread up the escarpment into the Bruce Peninsula.

When a natural space is destroyed, it’s gone forever and swapping an acre of wetland for an acre somewhere else is not equivalent. It takes thousands of years for an ecosystem to evolve; it can’t be manufactured artificially. We are a largely agricultural region. If agricultural land in the south is taken out of production, how will that impact the cost and availability of food, and what pressures will that put on our local farmers?

In early January, Sylvia Berg raised these issues in a call with Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson. Thompson was well-prepared and pushed back on many points while seeming to agree that sensitive land needed protection. Sylvia reminded her that, as our MPP, she has a responsibility to take our concerns and report on them in cabinet and caucus meetings. Thompson replied that the general public is not concerned.

We beg to differ. We think Bill 23, its negative impacts and the government’s handling of its implementation, have galvanized the public into almost unprecedented levels of opposition. How many of us have had conversations with family, friends or colleagues on this topic? Consider also the proliferation of Zoom meetings addressing the topic and new alliances being forged between disparate interest groups.

Jan. 31, I attended a rally against Bill 23 in Owen Sound with my husband, Jim. In the company of more than 100 people, we stood in frigid temperatures for an hour on the Gitche Namewikwedong Bridge on 10th Street waving at passing motorists, many of whom waved back and honked enthusiastically.

Standing next to me with a handmade sign, was a lady from Wiarton. Next to her was a lady who had travelled with her husband, from the Wingham area. Although most protesters were older, it was heartening to see some teenagers and a few young parents with pre-school-aged children.

Clearly, the general public is concerned. Huron-Bruce is a staunchly Conservative riding represented by a well-regarded MPP. Nevertheless, many conservative voters are unhappy with Bill 23.

It’s not too late to express your displeasure to Thompson and insist she report our point of view. Phone: 519-396-3007, E-mail: lisa.thompsonco@pc.ola.org or a quick visit to her constituency office: 807 Queen St, Unit 3, Kincardine.

You might also consider encouraging federal involvement by contacting environment minister Steven Guilbeault by E-mail: Steven.Guilbeault@parl.gc.ca or postage-free by mail: House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1A 0A6.

As citizens of Ontario, we have a right to express our opinion and an obligation to speak out against abuses of power

Christine Roberts
Blair’s Grove

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