Message from Ernie Hardeman MPP regarding Bill 139 committee hearings

The following message is from Ernie Hardeman MPP:

I am writing to update you on the committee hearings for Bill 139
which reforms the OMB and the Conservation Authorities Act. Yesterday,
despite the fact that more than 50 people and organizations had
applied to speak the government cancelled the public hearings on this
bill that were scheduled for Monday October 23 and Tuesday October
24.

We fought against the cancellation of these hearings, but ultimately
the Liberal members have the majority on the committee and we were
outvoted. I am very disappointed that the government is not willing to
take the time to listen to the concerns of community groups,
environmental organizations, legal experts and municipalities.

While we support reforming the OMB, like many others, we have concerns
about some parts of this bill. We believe that rather than rushing the
bill through to suit a political timeline it is more important to hear
from the people who will be impacted by this bill, understand the
potential problems and try to fix them before the legislation is
passed.

For those who still want to share their concerns I wanted to advise
you that the government has also shortened the deadline for written
comments. Written submissions are now due on Wednesday October 18 at
5:00 PM instead of the original deadline of October 24.

I’m disappointed and frustrated that the government has cancelled
these hearings and prevented us from hearing these concerns in person.
I encourage people making submissions to copy me and I will do my best
to raise their concerns in the time that is remaining on this bill.

Sincerely,

Ernie Hardeman, MPP Oxford
PC Critic for Municipal Affairs and Housing

ernie.hardeman@pc.ola.org