Woolwich reacts to Bill 66

Following the lead of other local municipalities, Woolwich council this week rejected provisions of the province’s Bill 66. Mostly.

The omnibus bill, known as the Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act, has been decried by community and environmental groups as a way to circumvent years and decades of protections for clean water and land-use planning. Specifically, section 10 of the bill would effectively permit individual municipalities to exempt development projects from the Clean Water Act and the Places to Growth policy, removing the need for public consultation and oversight to boot.

While opposed to the loosening of such regulations, Woolwich councillors this week debated the merits of parts of the omnibus bill, and even section 10 itself. Director of engineering and planning Dan Kennaley suggested there could be times when it would be better to have local decision-making power rather than having the township’s fate put in the hands of less-accountable regional or provincial governments.

His draft resolution reflected some hesitation to promise not to use various provisions of the Bill if it is ultimately approved by the Ford government.

“I’d be wary of a pledge not to pass such a bylaw,” he said of agreeing not to request an exemption under certain circumstances.

Councillors were more adamant about the protections, however.

“We’d be going major steps backwards by throwing out our water protections,” said Coun. Patrick Merlihan, citing Elmira’s history of tainted water. “I wanted it to be a more resounding rejection ... of Bill 66.”

“I really don’t like the draft resolution in front of us,” said fellow Ward 1 Coun. Scott McMillan, calling Kennaley’s inital draft long-winded and murky. “With Bill 66, we should be rejecting it outright.”