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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, D ec em be r 20 ,2 01 8 | 8 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised family of newspapers is comprised f of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. 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OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT INSIDEHALTON.COM EDITORIAL During the provincial election campaign, Doug Ford was caught on video telling a room full of development supporters that he would hand over a "big chunk" of Onta- rio's Greenbelt to those same developers. The public reaction was fast and furious, and Ford had to backtrack quickly, finally promising: "The people have spoken - we won't touch the Greenbelt." Could it be that when he makes this sort of promise, he actually means the opposite? As in, we won't cancel the basic income pilot project, and then doing it? As in promis- ing to invest in mental health services and then doing the opposite? Given this track record, we shouldn't be surprised that Ford has apparently reversed again and is trying to letFord has apparently reversed again and is trying to letF developers into the Greenbelt. He's using the back door this time. In an omnibus bill about cutting red tape, Bill 66 - Restoring Ontario's Competitiveness Act, the government plans to make it easier for municipalities to apply for ex- emptions to a number of protection measures under the guise of speeding up approvals for building offices and factories.factories.f The measures in question include the Clean Water Act, the Great Lakes Protection Act and the Greenbelt Act. So if your municipality supports building a factory on Green-your municipality supports building a factory on Green-y belt land, it just has to apply to the province with assuranc- es the development will create jobs and generate revenue if the protective measures impeding it can be set aside. The government insists this doesn't amount to endan- gering the Greenbelt, that its promise to protect it is still in force. But if that's the case, why is the act specifically men-force. But if that's the case, why is the act specifically men-f tioned, along with other important environmental protec- tion measures? We're not just talking about the Greenbelt here, either.We're not just talking about the Greenbelt here, either.W If a municipality wants to waive aspects of water or Great Lakes protection legislation, it will apply to the province to do so. Don't worry, the government says. Any deviations from protective measures will still require provincial approval. That sort of "we've got your back" rhetoric might be com- forting except that this is the same political party partiallyforting except that this is the same political party partiallyf responsible for the Walkerton disaster. And they want to be trusted to make decisions that won't jeopardize public safety and the environment? If there's a bright spot here, it is this: Municipalities have to make the application to start with. On one hand, this isn't comforting. Local governments are under the most financial pressure to keep taxes down and generate revenue. But on the other hand, they're more accessible to citizens and therefore likely to hear and act on grassroots pressure. That means if you feel strongly about not allowing On- tario's 7,200-square-kilometre Greenbelt to become Swiss cheese with pockets of development, speak out. The same holds true with Great Lakes and groundwater protection. Let your local councillors know how you feel. Insist that any time exceptions are being considered meaningful public consultation and is part of the process. Better yet, tell your local government to follow the ex- ample being set by Burlington, where new Mayor Mari- anne Meed Ward is already saying her council will stand up for the Greenbelt and not seek exemptions. That will send a clear message to the province, which might even listen. FORD'S GREENBELT PROMISE ISN'T MEANINGFUL On Nov. 21, I announced by first private member's bill, the Safeguarding Our Information Act, 2018 (Bill 55). If passed, the act would prevent government insti- tutions from obtaining per- sonal information from Ontarians without their consent. The act would also amend Ontario statutes - The Consumer Protection Act, the Consumer Report- ing Act, and the Credit Unions and Caisses Popu- laires Act - which would prevent government insti- tutions from disclosing consumers' personal infor- mation unless consent is expressly given. I introduced this bill, in part, as a response to the news that Statistics Cana- da had requested access to the private financial infor- mation of 500,000 Canadi- ans. If taken proportional- ly from across the country, this would include about 2,000 Oakville residents. The people of Oakville and Ontario deserve to have strong consumer protec- tion laws to keep them and their information safe, and deserve to have the ability to say no. I am happy so say that my bill has received broad support from PC caucus and NDP caucus members, including the NDP critic for this file. On Nov. 29, my bill passed the second read- ing and was referred to committee to be studied further. This month I would also like to take the time to wish everyone a Merry Christ- mas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year. This time of year is a great time to get together with family and remember what we are all thankful for. And I would like to encourage everyone who can to stop by my con- stituency office located at 74 Rebecca St., Unit 1, to drop off some non-perish- able food for our Fare Share Food Bank, located in the reception area. For assistance with pro- vincial matters, please con- tact my office at ste- phen.crawford- co@pc.ola.org. Stephen Crawford is the MPP for Oakville. ALL ONTARIANS DESERVE A ROBUST CONSUMER PROTECTION LAW CONSENT SHOULD BE REQUIRED WHEN INFO REQUESTED, WRITES MPP STEPHEN CRAWFORD STEPHEN CRAWFORD Column SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT INSIDEHALTON.COM