Dear Editor:
Premier Doug Ford claims Bill 5 will “Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy.”
This bill will not protect Ontarians like you and me. In fact, part of the bill, the “Special Economic Zones Act,” removes the very laws and regulations that are meant to protect us, so that companies can more quickly profit. The bill even includes protection against lawsuits for projects within special Ford zones.
What happens when for-profit companies are unleashed? Here are some imaginable futures …
Swaths of Wellington County farmland are designated Ford zones. The farmers have no say, and their land is expropriated (this is happening now in Wilmot).
A development company, exempt from all the usual environmental assessments and rules, builds on a floodplain. Homes are flooded – there were no rules. The out-sized development threatens the water supply of neighbouring farms – there were no assessments. The developers are protected from legal action.
An area is designated for a factory. The factory leaches contaminants into the groundwater that all of Wellington County depends on for drinking water. Without impact assessments or water monitoring, no one knew. Remember Walkerton?
There are good reasons for the rules.
Ford has given himself and his developer pals a huge “get out of jail free” pass in his game of making the rich richer. They’ll be protected. The rest of us, not so much.
If this bothers you and you want to do something about it, join us at 1pm on Aug. 23 (1 MacDonald Square, Elora) for a community-action event. Kids are welcome.
Ailsa Kay,
Fergus