To: The Members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Copies to:  Nolan Quinn, MPP (Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry)

We solemnly ask the Ontario government to leave the 1993 Environmental Bill of Rights, established for the benefit of all Ontarians, intact. 

Since 1994, Ontario's Environmental Bill of Rights has granted ordinary citizens powerful ways to participate in decisions affecting themselves and their natural environment.  Even more important, these rights established a core principle: that our air, water, wildlife and natural spaces belong to us all, and therefore, we must all be given a means to safeguard our natural heritage and a means to protect our communities from land, air, and water pollution.

Now, we are in danger of losing these rights. Through Bill 140, the “Building Ontario Faster Act,” the Ontario government proposes to remove many of the provisions set in place by the bill of rights, dismissing them as needless “red tape.”  Bill 140 has already passed two readings and the deadline for public input is November 26.   Taking away these rights will consolidate control in the hands of the government and strip power away from individuals, communities and local governance.

In the past, these rights HAVE given power to local communities:

·         In the Kingston area, residents and environmental groups used the Environmental Bill of Rights to challenge air pollution approvals caused by the Lafarge cement plant's plans to burn waste-derived fuels.

·         In Hamilton, residents used the Act to request a review of emissions and operating certificates at the SWARU waste incinerator and eventually succeeded in having the plant that was contaminating the air of their community permanently closed.

These are examples of ordinary citizens using the legal rights granted by the Environmental Bill to stand up for the health of their communities and to protect the land, air, and water of their homes.

Other jurisdictions, including the Northwest Territories and countries around the world, recognize the importance of environmental rights and public participation. Ontario should not be moving backwards! 

THEREFORE, WE, THE UNDERSIGNED, PETITION THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO TO leave the Environmental Bill of Rights, 1993, intact.

1. Retain meaningful legal mechanisms that allow citizens to request environmental reviews and investigations and seek remedies when public environmental resources are harmed 
2.  Maintain transparent public consultation and meaningful opportunities for Ontarians to participate in decisions affecting their communities and natural heritage.
3. Ensure that citizens retain effective ways to hold their government accountable for protecting Ontario's environment.

I will be attending Ontario Nature's Nature at Queen's Park event on November 17, 2026, in my capacity as Director of the Butternut Creek Nature Reserve Foundation. The results of this petition will be shared with MPPs.

Protecting nature is not a partisan issue. And our physical environment is more than just a spool of unwanted red tape; it is integral to our physical and mental well-being and is an essential part of our identity as Canadians. The rights that we have been legally granted to help us protect our natural heritage should not be taken away.