OrilliaMatters welcomes letters to the editor. This letter is in response to the provincial government's possible use of a Minister's Zoning Order to expedite the creation of a new waste processing plant on Horseshoe Valley Road. Send your letters to [email protected]
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A letter to the editor and open letter to Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MPP Doug Downey.
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A letter to the editor and open letter to Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MPP Doug Downey.
I am replying to the response you have provided to the original letter I had sent to Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, dated May 4, 2020.
The original letter was intended to express my strong opposition to the County of Simcoe’s request for a Minister’s Zoning Order for the Environmental Resource Recovery Centre (“ERRC”).
I live in the County of Simcoe and am very concerned about the County’s proposal to establish the ERRC, a large waste processing facility, in the Freele County Forest.
There are long-term destabilizing effects that are not being appropriately considered by Simcoe County with the proposed circumvention of regulated planning involving the LPAT process. Such acts represent reckless disassociation with any discernible interest in Ontario’s environment.
Your response to my letter of concern was the only one offered by the current provincial government, despite the letter being addressed to Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and copies sent to yourself, Jill Dunlop MPP Simcoe North, Andrea Khanjin, MPP Barrie-Innisfil, Caroline Mulroney, MPP York-Simcoe and Jim Wilson, MPP Simcoe-Grey.
Your brief reply was appreciated considering the stark lack of accountability that the current provincial government has demonstrated since forming their government.
The substance of your reply encompassed the following two sentences of your message, "We have just been advised by the Ministry that since this matter is currently before LPAT we are unable to comment further at this time. I can assure you that we have shared your comments regarding this issue with the Ministry directly for their consideration."
LPAT is part of the Environment and Land Division (ELD) of Tribunals Ontario. Tribunals Ontario was established on Jan. 1, 2019 to replace the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB), bringing together three justice clusters that report to the Ministry of the Attorney General. The LPAT process has been relied upon as an independent adjudicative tribunal conducting hearings and making decisions on land use planning issues that affect the future of all residents of Ontario.
The LPAT process is the only existing potential opportunity for input that the Ontario public has left to pursue the logical corrective measures preventing or guiding the Ontario government, Simcoe County and various municipal governments from inadvertently or directly inflicting long term harm within our home province.
The current government in Ontario is threatening in multiple circumstances to use Minister’s Zoning Orders (MZOs) to circumvent the LPAT process, while at the same time, based on your response, the Ontario government is referring to the existence of the LPAT process as a convenient reason not to comment, thus avoid responsibility for imposing MZOs on the Ontario public.
This is a pathetic and irresponsible response, with the simplistic goal of avoidance of responsibility on the part of the current provincial government. The existence of a health crisis like COVID-19 should not and cannot be used as an excuse for this avoidance of responsibility.
The following is an excerpt from the Government of Canada/Discover Canada - The Justice System (2012) retrieved from the following website.
Canada’s legal system is based on a heritage that includes the rule of law, freedom under the law, democratic principles and due process. Due process is the principle that the government must respect all of legal rights a person is entitled to under the law.
Our laws are intended to provide order in society and a peaceful way to settle disputes, and to express the values and beliefs of Canadians.
The destructive consequences of governments bent on diminishing or eliminating protective environmental regulation during a major health crisis is extremely anti-democratic.
While we have come to expect this from corporations and their legions of lobbyists, we need our elected officials to properly perform their responsibilities, which must include lawfully protecting the interests of Ontario citizens and our environment.
The disastrous effects of the global pandemic bring into focus how important our environment is to all our lives and to public health. It reveals how much more needs to be done to fully guarantee a healthy environment for everyone, and how critically important it is to protect our community.
Michael Douglas
Brechin
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Brechin
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