Tell your MPP what you think of Bill 108, now passed into law

I am very concerned about development threats to remaining natural areas in and around the Toronto area. For years now, Toronto has had the highest number of active construction cranes of any city in North America (currently at 104 cranes). At the same time, multiple studies have shown that Toronto’s remaining parks, ravines and natural areas are under siege, neglected and in decline.

So I am very disappointed that you voted in support of Bill 108 on June 6, 2019. I ask that you hold an environment-focused town hall meeting as soon as possible, and that you explain your vote to constituents.

Bill 108 will amend 13 different laws, governing everything from fees for developers to protection of endangered species, and will have massive repercussions on municipal planning, revenue generation and financing infrastructure projects.

Conservation experts such as Ontario Nature and Environmental Defence have warned that Bill 108 “opens significant wildlife habitat to sprawl development through amendments to the Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA). The amendments give new powers to the Minister to delay, limit and remove protections for at-risk species. Further, it creates numerous, overlapping pathways for developers and industrialists to dodge critical requirements…The ESA gutting follows a ground-breaking United Nations report, released in May, that documents the rapid decline of ecosystems and accelerating rates of species extinction. According to the report, a million species are now threatened with extinction.”

Gord Miller, former Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, has also warned about Bill 108: “These changes to the ESA take us in the wrong direction. The alarming patterns of biodiversity loss, outlined in the United Nations report, hold true everywhere, including Ontario, and threaten the very foundations of our well-being and our economies.”

Please inform me as soon as you set the date and location of your environment town hall meeting. I look forward to sharing my concerns with you in person.

I am very concerned about development threats to remaining natural areas in and around the Toronto area. For years now, Toronto has had the highest number of active construction cranes of any city in North America (currently at 104 cranes). At the same time, multiple studies have shown that Toronto’s remaining parks, ravines and natural areas are under siege, neglected and in decline.

I am very concerned about development threats to remaining natural areas in and around the Toronto area. For years now, Toronto has had the highest number of active construction cranes of any city in North America (currently at 104 cranes). At the same time, multiple studies have shown that Toronto’s remaining parks, ravines and natural areas are under siege, neglected and in decline.

So I thank you for voting against Bill 108 on June 6, 2019. I also recommend that you hold an environment-focused town hall meeting as soon as possible, and that you explain the implications of Bill 108 to your constituents.

Bill 108 will amend 13 different laws, governing everything from fees for developers to protection of endangered species, and will have massive repercussions on municipal planning, revenue generation and financing infrastructure projects.

Conservation experts such as Ontario Nature and Environmental Defence have warned that Bill 108 “opens significant wildlife habitat to sprawl development through amendments to the Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA). The amendments give new powers to the Minister to delay, limit and remove protections for at-risk species. Further, it creates numerous, overlapping pathways for developers and industrialists to dodge critical requirements…The ESA gutting follows a ground-breaking United Nations report, released in May, that documents the rapid decline of ecosystems and accelerating rates of species extinction. According to the report, a million species are now threatened with extinction.”

Gord Miller, former Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, has also warned about Bill 108: “These changes to the ESA take us in the wrong direction. The alarming patterns of biodiversity loss, outlined in the United Nations report, hold true everywhere, including Ontario, and threaten the very foundations of our well-being and our economies.”

Please inform me as soon as you set the date and location of your environment town hall meeting. I look forward to sharing concerns and ideas with you in person.