I am opposed to the Ontario…

I am opposed to the Ontario Government’s proposed Bill 5 because:
1. It would give the Ontario government sweeping powers to override environmental protections, exempt hand-picked companies from established laws, and sideline Indigenous views within “Special Economic Zones” (SEZ’s), in the name of “economic growth”.
2. SEZs could be declared ANYWHERE in Ontario if Cabinet believes that area is “economically significant or strategically important.”
3. “Trusted proponents” could be hand-picked by the Minister with NO independent checks. Whether or not they have a good record on environmental compliance is entirely “in the opinion of the Minister”.
4. Despite clear feedback from Indigenous communities, the draft regulations contain NO mechanism to affirm Indigenous rights or consultation requirements.
In sum, this proposed legislation would be extremely damaging to the clean and healthy environment that we, the citizens of Ontario, know and love.