Reducing Red Tape Impact

Environmentalists say the Ford government’s proposed bill to make the province more appealing for business could set Ontario back decades.

The legislation would cut back regulations that companies must follow to do business. Everything from farming to labour law, but the biggest concern for some, are changes that could allow municipalities to develop the Green Belt.

Before the provincial election, Doug Ford took back what he said in this recorded conversation and made a promise to preserve the green belt, over 7,000 square kilometres of land around the Golden Horseshoe. The proposed Bill 66 could provide a loop hole for developers.

The bill would allow cities to create an “open for business” zoning bylaw, bypassing existing legislation to speed up development.

Today, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Todd Smith, says despite the proposed legislation, the Green Belt is still out of the question.

Despite that assurance, some say the bill doesn’t include that protection.

Mayor Fred Eisenberger says even though the city might be permitted to develop on the portion of the Green Belt here in Hamilton, he says it wouldn’t be the right thing to do.

Aside from potential threats to the Green Belt, the bill would cut regulations to the clean water act, as well as current rules on the use of toxins. The Provincial Government saying the rules are redundant and unnecessary, as the feds already oversee it.

Environmentalists say cutting regulations to the clean water act would greatly impact Hamilton in particular, as the city has a history of water contamination from lack of industrial regulations. The mayor saying that we don’t want to go back to that time, as clean up costs millions of dollars.