Nearly 90 Ontario businesses call on provincial government to repeal Bill 23

A group of 89 Ontario businesses have signed onto a letter calling for the provincial government to repeal Bill 23.

Bill 23 is the Build More Houses Faster Act and it was passed in November.

Copernicus Educational Products in Arthur and Northern Village Inc,. in Guelph, initiated the letter campaign and say they're concerned with the province's plans to make changes to the Greenbelt to allow houses to be built on previously protected lands.

"I'm extremely concerned about environmental regulations going backwards rather than going forwards," Jim Phillips, owner and CEO of Copernicus Educational Products, told CBC News. "So Bill 23 was a huge concern."

Phillips says he feels like the government moved forward with making changes to the Greenbelt.

"Doing it strategically with input from all stakeholders seems like the most logical way to proceed, rather than taking an axe to what is essentially a quality control system that was created to protect the environment and its citizens," he said.

Province says bill needed for housing

The letter says the businesses "acknowledge and appreciate" that the province needs more housing, but suggests there were other ways to make that happen, such as increasing urban density.

It says they're worried about farmland becoming housing, which would impact food security and cost, and say allowing homes on protected areas may result in flooding, negative consequences or other climate-related natural disasters.

"The best businesses in the world, large and small, have embraced environmental and social governance and understand that protecting the environment is good for the planet and good for business," the letter says. "We expect the same from our government."

The Ontario government passed the More Homes Built Faster Act on Nov. 28. Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark said that morning that the legislation was necessary to build housing. He added the changes made by the province would add more than 800 hectares to the Greenbelt.

"We are in the middle of a housing crisis and we have the opportunity to, at the end of the day, grow the Greenbelt but at the same time, have a minimum of 50,000 new housing starts," Clark said during question period at Queen's Park on Nov. 28. "It's a good day for Ontario."

An email from Clark's office to CBC News notes the bill itself does not contain any previsions related to the Greenbelt.

Support for farmland

Court Desautels, CEO of Neighbourhood Group of Companies which operates restaurants in Guelph and Waterloo region, also signed onto the letter to the province.

He says the government's plan to add more land to the Greenbelt — "sounds all lovely on the outside" until people read more into it. He says there's a reason there's been opposition from various groups.

"It's not just a threat on the environment, I think it's a bit of a threat on our democratic right as people of the public who who have the right to to make comments and stand up for what we believe in," he said.

Desautels says the Neighbourhood Group has been concerned about local environmental issues dating back 30 years when it held its first "river dinner" to support watershed programs — which was one reason he signed the letter.

"Then, obviously, being in the food business, supporting local farmers is a big piece of our business and just knowing that some of our premium farmland is being paved over and a lot of the tributaries and ecosystems surrounding that farmland and that helps preserve it is also in jeopardy right now," he said.

Hold government to account

Bruce Taylor, CEO of environmental consultant company Enviro-Stewards, in Elmira, says he wanted to sign on because he thinks the Progressive Conservatives went back on a promise.

"The government themselves promised that they wouldn't do this in order to get elected. If they're not held to account for breaking that promise, then what's to stop them from other things," he said.

He said he has three primary areas of concern:

1. Bypassing regional government's role for planning, such as the Region of Waterloo's densification work.
2. Going around a conservation authority's role to advise on work in protected areas.
3. That the new law discounts the benefit of wetlands in nature-based solutions to address climate change.

Hoping for more support

Phillips says while getting 89 companies to sign the letter is a good start, he wants to see more businesses join them in their call.

"We're hopeful that our letter ... in conjunction with all of the other widespread objections through other organizations and residents will mean something, and that they'll pay attention to it and realize that this is not forward thinking," he said.

"Businesses play an important role in society and I think speaking up against issues like this is critical and especially for some of the larger companies that are touting how environmentally and socially responsible they are, well, if they truly are, if they want to practice what they preach, then they should be speaking up about stuff like this."