Dear Editor:
I write with interest in regards to the our Conservation Authority, and the Ontario government’s plan to amend Bill 229. In a previous letter I supported the local Conservation Authority’s recommendation that the habitat of Cooper Marsh and its surroundings remain unchanged.
Here is an example of the Ontario government giving with one hand and taking back with the other. The purpose of the local Conservation Authorities is to protect the natural environments in communities across the province. However, it seems that the government has decided to tinker with the legislation and pull rank.
The government wants to amend Bill 229 which will override the recommendations of the Authorities. This tactic is unacceptable and you have to wonder about the motivation to undo what has taken years to accomplish.
It is a deliberate attempt to privatize our natural resources, something that governments are eager to do. Our provincial and federal governments are in an unprecedented deficit situation so you can bet they will look long and hard to find areas to trim spending, and to bring in new sources of revenue. What better way to bring in revenue than to sell off our natural resources to the highest bidder?
At the moment, the outcomes don’t look very rosy. Let private enterprise take over, and all concern for the protection and care of natural environments will be lost. The main priority is profits- to the exclusion of all else!
Perhaps our local MPP, Jim McDonell could respond to this letter and clarify why the Ontario government is keen to limit the authority of Conservation Authorities? If there are other reasons it would be nice to know what they are.
Kevin Parkinson
Cornwall, Ontario
