Interested in protecting our wetlands and forests? Safeguarding our precious water sources? Promoting transit and walkable communities where you live?

The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO) is releasing a primer on land use planning in Ontario that highlights the ECO’s research and recommendations over the last decade.  Land Use Planning in Ontario: Recommendations of the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario from 2000-2010 will hopefully be a useful tool for the public to participate in our shared decision-making processes.

Ontario’s land use planning system shapes how our communities develop and what activities may take place on the broader landscape. At the core of this system is the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS). Its importance is immeasurable.  Faced with the dramatic loss of our province’s biodiversity and the pervasive impacts of climate change, it is critically important that our land use planning rules are up to the job.

Currently, the Ontario government is doing its five-year review of the PPS. I would encourage everyone who wants to help shape the future of our communities and protect our rich natural heritage to share their opinions at every opportunity!

Whether it’s sharing your thoughts on a planning project in your town or your insights on an important new provincial law that is being considered before the legislature, your voice is important.  It’s my job as Environmental Commissioner to make sure your voice is heard, as well as be the voice of our environment that can’t speak for itself.