I am opposed to the policy…

I am opposed to the policy changes proposed by this government as it weakens environmental protections meant to keep our water safe.

A mandatory study should be conducted if extraction of aggregate is within 1.5 m of the water table. The proposed change would eliminate this requirement. Communities should be informed and consulted about site changes. The proposed changes would abdicate the government's responsibility in this regard, and leave the public in the dark. The Ministry of the Environment should have to approve operational changes such as changes to haul routes, fuel storage, etc.), but the proposed changes don't require that and give the Government of Ontario cover through ignorance of how aggregate extraction is conducted.

This is a government that eliminated previous initiatives to protect the environment and has, in the interim, provided no clear plan of how it will protect the environment here in Ontario. I don't trust corporations to act in a way that will safeguard fresh water in Ontario, and this government has shown it is only too willing to sacrifice the future safety of ecosystems around this province for short term gain.

A few million dollars collected through the extraction of aggregate in the short term is a paltry sum compared to the tens of millions or more it will cost once companies leave toxins in bodies of fresh water for generations to come. One only needs to look as far as Grassy Narrows to recall these predictions are not alarmist, but based on real tragedy here in Ontario, that has yet to be rectified.