Dear Editor:
I have been silent thus far on Bill 5. I have let others sound the alarm, stand up and against this dangerous legislation that threatens our democracy, our environment and consultation with our Indigenous nations. I have hoped against hope that Conservative MPPs would have learned from the debacle of the Greenbelt scandal.
Bill 5 raises the stakes to a whole new consequential level under the guise of “special economic zones.”
Bill 5 is high-handed opportunism, reactionary and disrespectful.
This bill gives Ontario unrestricted ability to create regulation-free zones where it can exempt any business or project from any provincial or municipal law or by-law. Doug Ford is essentially saying, “Trust me, folks.”
The “seeing Ontario is supporting Ontario” commercial is a beautiful visual reminder of how much we have to lose. See Northern Ontario. It is yours to discover but, for how long?
Silent no more.
Cinda Richardson,
Fergus