The consistency with which…

The consistency with which this Ontario government has neglected to consult with environmental experts and submit their development and redevelopment proposals to comprehensive environmental impact assessments is deeply disappointing.

The lack of transparency in their operations is alarming and, after the Greenbelt fiasco, is unacceptable.

Our farmable land in Ontario is the richest in Canada and is finite -- it is not replaceable. Our wetlands are cost-free carbon sinks and are some of the most effective flood protections; something that has become so important with the inconsistent storms we have been experiencing over the past few years. These are parts of of an ecosystem that we all live in and rely on, and clearly take for granted. Most of us won't realize how big of a role they played in our lives until they stop performing their functions -- because we wrecked them for a highway.

To treat our farmland and wetlands as undeveloped land is reductive, and will cost too many taxpayers their livelihoods and the stability of their children's futures. It will cost us a fortune to even come close to replicating the natural functions our farmland and wetlands provide for us.

I implore the provincial government to give Ontario's taxpayers the respect they deserve. They must operate with transparency, and submit to a full, comprehensive environmental impact assessment, and respect it's findings. They need to do better because it's what Ontarians deserve from its government. Not a one-and-done paycheque from a temporary development contract, but a consistent future for our children.