Re: Special Economic Zones…

Re: Special Economic Zones Act, 2025 (Bill 5)

I am strongly against this legislation for several reasons. First, it appears to go beyond the authority of the provincial government. There is great potential for conflict of interest in decisions that could be made under this act. It is against the public interest to create these Special Economic Zones. Economic growth should never override broader societal interests, people living in the area of a proposed project, and especially protection of the environment. We have a long-standing tradition of protecting the environment, and overriding support of the general public to continue to do so and expand this protection. This legislation would allow the Ontario Cabinet, without public consultation or agreement of the indigenous communities, to make far reaching and irreversible decisions. This is an abuse of Cabinet power and neglects their responsibility to the people of Ontario. There is enormous potential for decisions to be made to benefit specific interest groups, companies, or corporations. There appears no external checks and balances to ensure this does not happen. There is also no guarantee that such projects would be run by public institutions and profits keep with the Ontario people and local governments instead of corporations, private companies, or individuals. There are still cases before the courts where the current government misused their power to the detriment of the environment, and against the wishes of communities and municipalities. This legislation would allow this on a larger scale. It has been reported the portions of provincial parts will be targeted by the government for economic development, and this is totally against the intent when the parks were created, and the general wishes of the people of Ontario.
I am extremely concerned with the ability for the Minister to pick "trusted proponents" with no verification of their track record in protecting the environment, human rights, ability to complete the project within budget, no independent audit, no open competition with clear-cut qualifications and parameters, no explicit requirement for Canadian materials, Canadian companies, and no mandate for public ownership and control. If these projects are so key and important to the Ontario or Canadian economy and in the public interest, then they should not be left to the private sector.
I am also dismayed that there is no explicit or legislative requirement to ensure health and environmental risks are minimized and that both short and long-term benefits to workers, communities, and the Ontario / Canadian economy outweigh such risks. In the absence of such an independent evaluation by non-governmental experts without conflicts of interest , and strong public support by those affected, a project should not be allowed to proceed. There appears to be no sunset clauses requiring all projects to have sufficient resources to deal with any lawsuits related to such risks and to clean-up any spills or pollution both during and subsequent to the project operation. Especially in the case of risky activities such as mining and other resource extraction which have a very poor track record of looking after the health of workers, communities, and the environment, safeguards enshrined in legislation are critical.

In conclusion, the legislation appears to have critical flaws, is not in the public interest, and should not be allowed to be enacted. Any legislation should have the goal to strengthen environmental protection, and enable affected communities to have a final say without government interference or threats.