Don't let your environmental concerns be silenced

The Ontario government has quietly created a regulation so that they can make any environment-related decision behind closed doors, without ever telling us. Moreover, ministries are no longer held to their Statement of Enviromental Values, which provided a critical safeguard against environmentally unsound ideas being proposed.

Since 1993, thanks to the Environmental Bill of Rights, the government has been legally required to inform and consult with the public about every proposal which could impact the environment. This is how we have kept an eye on what the government is doing and intervened when they tried to push through changes to ...

The Ontario government has quietly created a regulation so that they can make any environment-related decision behind closed doors, without ever telling us. Moreover, ministries are no longer held to their Statement of Enviromental Values, which provided a critical safeguard against environmentally unsound ideas being proposed.

Since 1993, thanks to the Environmental Bill of Rights, the government has been legally required to inform and consult with the public about every proposal which could impact the environment. This is how we have kept an eye on what the government is doing and intervened when they tried to push through changes to laws, policies and permits that will harm Ontario's wilderness and wildlife.

Unless they repeal this regulation, we will all be closed out of decison-making until 30 days after the emergency declaration has ended.

They claim this was done to help them speed up emergency decision-making in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, an emergency clause in the Environmental Bill of Rights already allows them this freedom.

If you, like us, are worried they will use this health crisis to push through harmful proposals, please join us in urging them to roll back this dangerous and unecessary regulation.

Read their justification here, but remember, the regulation itself does not require them to tell us anything even if they claim they will.

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Email the decision-makers

Ask the government to repeal this unecessary and dangerous regulation, and take back your environmental rights!

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Dear Premier and Ministers,

Recently you created a regulation that exempts government ministries from having to inform and consult with the public about environmentally-related decisions.

We understand that important decisions need to be made quickly in order to protect our health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we note that the Environmental Bill of Rights already has a section that allows you to make emergency decisions, making this regulation not only redundant but highly suspicious.

Why are ministries suddenly not required to consider their Statement of Environmental Values anymore? Surely COVID-19 has deepened our understanding of our reliance on a healthy environment. Our environmental rights help us safeguard the environment for the benefit of all Ontarians.

I urge you to:

- Repeal Ontario Regulation 115/20 under the EBR
-  Defer all legislative and regulatory reforms including amendments or repeals related to Ontario’s environmental laws until 30 days after the pandemic emergency is declared over
- Extend all current public comment periods until this time
- Defer making decisions about any environmental proposal until this time

Please notify me when these changes have been made. Our environmental rights are precious, and I will follow this issue closely.

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