Advocates from civil liberties, treaty rights and environmental organizations have been gathering at Queen’s Park to oppose the Ford government’s proposed Bill 5.
Bill 5 would give the Premier and his cabinet unprecedented control over the province: including the ability to exempt individuals and corporations from provincial and municipal laws and bypass consultation with Indigenous communities.
If passed, Bill 5 would:
- Allow the premier and cabinet to designate “special economic zones” in which “trusted proponents” would be given the authority to undertake projects without regard to provincial and municipal laws;
- Exempt developments from archeological assessments if the Ontario government is of the opinion that an exemption “could potentially advance one or more of the following provincial priorities”: transit; housing; health and long-term care; other infrastructure; and such other priorities as may be prescribed. Archeological assessments often trigger the duty to consult with Indigenous communities and First Nations governments;
- Repeal Ontario’s Endangered Species Act – ending most meaningful protections for endangered, threatened and special concern species and their habitat; and
- Terminate comprehensive environmental assessments for two projects: the proposed Eagle’s Nest mine in Northern Ontario and the proposed Dresden Dump. The environmental assessments for both projects were put into place to provide forward-looking understanding of environmental and socio-economic conditions and impacts of planned developments to government decision-makers, Indigenous communities as well as members of the public.
If this omnibus bill is passed, Bill 5 will open the door to lawless “Special Economic Zones” [defined by the cabinet, without public input] where basic worker protections could be stripped away. Bill 5 will expand strong mayor powers.
The powers proposed in Bill 5 are extremely broad, raising concerns that the government is avoiding public accountability and shielding itself from civil liability. The bill includes protection against lawsuits for anyone involved in a project within a special economic zone.
Comments