I am very concerned about…

I am very concerned about Bill 5, the Special Economic Zones Act which gives the Ontario government the power to override environmental protections, exempt hand picked companies from laws and ignore Indigenous voices within these 'Special Economic Zones' in the name of economic growth.

To me, this bill values a portion of our wholeness - the economy - over the liveability of our environment but, the economy doesn't thrive if liveability isn't maintained. And so often, this circular logic is ignored. Liveability means clean water, unpolluted air, soil able to grow food and so much more. Economic gain often means that these aspects of liveability are destroyed.

In this bill power is given to Cabinet. This government has been reproached by the Auditor General (Oct 1, 2025) for failings in its dealings with multiple issues, as well as in the August 2023 report which detailed how it stood to earn over $8 billion, while failing to consider the greenbelt developments' environmental, agricultural, and financial impacts. No power should be given to Cabinet for deciding if an area is strategically important.

The government should also not be given the power to pick 'trusted proponents' to start the developments they choose because they themselves cannot be trusted.

And the Bill doesn't have any independent oversight. Without it and any requirement that the mitigation strategies proposed by developers will actually work, the safety of people's health in the areas of these economic zones or the environment cannot be assured.

Finally, the fact that there is no mechanism to affirm Indigenous rights or to consult with the Indigenous owners of the land upon which a development proposal is granted, means that we continue to ignore the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's recommendations to our deep shame.

The Special Economic Zones Act (Bill 5) should be stopped! They are pushing the Act through advertising the economic value of the Ring of Fire on the radio. The Ford government already has an untrustworthy track record and I can't see how any developers they have the power to pick without oversight could be anything but untrustworthy as well.