Read on Twitter
‘The developers are all in control’: Doug Ford’s government moves to limit the power of conservation authorities, sparking fears for the environment https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2020/11/12/the-developers-are-all-in-control-new-rules-by-doug-fords-provincial-government-will-limit-the-power-of-conservation-authorities-sparking-fears-for-the-environment.html via @torontostar
In its budget last week, the government brought in "extreme" changes to how conservation agencies function. Currently, CA's have a say in almost all development applications to assess the impact they will have on the environment, floodplains, etc.
But the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry will now be able to issue permits directly on developments that are in the "provincial interest." And they will be able to override any decision made by the CA's on smaller developments, if a developer appeals.
These new laws will likely be tested in Pickering, where the government recently issued a ministerial zoning order (MZO) to permit a warehouse to be built on top of a provincially significant wetland. The TRCA has been opposed to this development. https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2020/11/01/this-is-being-done-so-wrongly-it-just-cant-be-ignored-doug-fords-government-has-fast-tracked-a-huge-development-in-durham-that-will-create-hundreds-of-new-jobs-and-destroy-ecologically-importa.html?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=SocialMedia&utm_campaign=GTA&utm_content=doug-fords-government-has-fast-tracked-a-huge-development-in-durham-that-will-create-hundreds-of-new-jobs-and-destroyecologically-importa
That decision led to the resignation of a Greenbelt Foundation member: https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2020/11/04/greenbelt-adviser-quits-over-fast-tracking-of-durham-wetlands-development-by-doug-fords-government.html?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=SocialMedia&utm_campaign=GTA&utm_content=greenbelt-adviser-quits-over-fast-tracking-of-durham-wetlands-development-by-doug-fords-government
My colleagues and I have written about MZO's popping up all across the province and the impact they will have on our communities. My friend and colleague @jpags and I talked about them recently in an episode of This Matters. https://www.thestar.com/podcasts/thismatters/2020/10/30/how-the-ford-government-is-upending-the-local-planning-process.html
