11 www.georgianbay.ca GBA UPDATE Spring 2023 OBITUARY ≥`Allowing developers to pay to damage wetlands and other sensitive habitat rather than protect them (an extension of the previous misguided “pay to slay” new species-at-risk regulation) ≥`Removal of Conservation Authorities' powers ≥`Changes to Ontario Wetland Evaluation System that greatly reduce wetland protection ≥`Very short consultation periods for the 13 Environmental Bill of Rights postings on the Bill This last point regarding the consultation process seemed specifically designed to reduce/eliminate the opportunity for public comment. For context, most new legislation has one Environmental Bill of Rights-mandated consultation posting and allows for a minimum period of 30 days to gather public input, but the practice, prior to 2018, has been to allow longer for complex legislation. Bill 23 had 13 postings, all of them highly complex, and allowed for only the minimum 30 days for comment on most of them. Far-reaching new legislation such as Bill 23 should merit sufficient opportunity for informed and constructive public comment. On top of everything else, the regulations are being applied to all of Ontario and not just urban areas where housing needs are greatest. In our submissions on the Bill, GBA argued that at the very least, all un-serviced (no municipal water or sewage service) land should have been exempt. That did not happen. As a result, Bill 23 is likely to cause significant damage to our rural ecosystems for no apparent advantage. In the face of increasing development pressure on the Bay, instead of helping us to keep the ecosystem safe for future generations of Ontarians and the 53 species currently at risk who call our province home, our government has now made it more difficult to protect the integrity of planning regulations and the environment. Not only that, their actions suggest that they don’t believe that development can happen sustainably. GBA knows that is not the case, as an enormous amount of effort has gone into creating sound planning processes on the Bay that both protect the environment and respect property rights. This balance was not easy to achieve, but we know that it’s vital to protecting the Bay we love for future generations. That balance is now under significant threat. For more information about GBA’s submissions on Bill 23 and to find a link for you to add your voice on this matter and send an email to your MPP please see: https://georgianbay.ca/government-affairs/ government-policy/ Remembering a True GBA Guardian: Paul Hamblin It is with great sadness that we report that a valued volunteer member of the GBA Aquaculture Committee for almost 20 years, Paul Hamblin, has passed away. Paul enjoyed wonderful active years at his Beulah Island property, in the Sans Souci and Copperhead Association area of Georgian Bay. Paul was always willing to connect and provide expert advice to his GBA committee colleagues and be a respected presence at our meetings with government officials. Since he had a degree in engineering from the University of Toronto, a master's degree in engineering physics from UBC, a PhD in oceanography from the University of Washington in Seattle, was an adjunct professor at McMaster University, had decades of experience specializing in limnology, and was the author of many scientific papers over his career, his contribution to the work of our Aquaculture Committee and to GBA overall was invaluable and very much appreciated. More specifically, Paul brought his expertise and knowledge from working for 35 years on water quality issues in the Great Lakes for Environment Canada’s National Water Research Institute, including the impacts of commercial open net cage aquaculture industry on water quality and research on cage siting issues. He will be greatly missed.
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