Another blow to democracy and the citizens of Ontario was made in Alliston recently, at the Ministry of Infrastructure’s Place to Grow announcement.

It was announced that the province was handing over even more responsibility to the County of Simcoe and local municipalities, to govern the growth in the area. It is likely that the suits in the audience were thrilled. Their influence over municipal decisions, as to where to build and how many homes, has been considerable over the years, despite the public’s objections to the destruction of the environment, the lack of water in an area to sustain growth, the destruction of vital farm land, the use of the Ontario Municipal Board and the outright persecution of the people living in a developer’s next project area.

This hand over of provincial laws would be acceptable if the county and municipalities were responsible, law abiding, governmental agencies. Citizens are now even more at risk to have what few rights we do have trampled on. The people of Ontario have no right to water whatsoever, under any law. So these municipalities can, and do, give the natural resource to developers, even if it drains the present taxpaying farms, homes and water source. Municipalities can give developers severances that claim to be a house lot, exceeds the size of the official severance laws and are then turned into things like sewage plants. Or they drain wetlands for other uses. Municipalities say that the cost of supplying services to a hamlet or town cannot be done without growth. Costs are given that are inflated, to scare the public into excepting development. Benefits are just smoke screens, while in the end their taxes go up to cover the cost of the development.

This has been proven across the province, where development is involved. Infrastructure and maintenance costs are never mentioned. Highly regarded environmental areas are destroyed by municipalities to benefit developers, and in the end, the developer gets what they want — money.

What is the harm in handing over legislation to counties and municipalities to enforce? They fail miserably to uphold laws, or outright break them.

Is there a provincial court system that goes after these law breakers? No!

It is left to counties or municipalities to police themselves. Highly regarded environmental areas are destroyed by municipalities to benefit developers, and in the end, the developer gets what they want — money.

What is the harm in handing over legislation to counties and municipalities to enforce? They fail miserably to uphold laws, or outright break them.

Is there a provincial court system that goes after these law breakers? No!

It is left to counties or municipalities to police themselves.

The province will even tell citizens to go back to the municipalities, to get justice. What justice? Who’s going to convict themselves? You can take the matter to the OMB, but the cost is prohibitive for citizens and the board almost always brings down judgements against the people.

If we were able to take them to a real judiciary hearing, rather than the OMB kangaroo court, we might see provincial law upheld.

It is very troubling that the province is so naive as to believe their laws will be upheld by self-important counties and municipalities, when it comes to development. The province needs a mechanism that the public can turn to for help when things go horribly wrong.

No one should be above the law, and that certainly includes counties and municipalities.

John and Sharon Yovanoff,

Residents Of South Simcoe

Conserving Our Rural Environment (ROSSCORE)