Dear Editor:
Bill 5 is a disaster for the environment and our democracy.
“You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone,” sang Joni Mitchell. This is a wake-up call to us all that if we don’t act, we may lose much of what we value as Ontarians and Canadians.
The riding of Wellington-Halton Hills is blessed. We’re surrounded by the Greenbelt, fertile farmland and the magnificent Niagara Escarpment.
These natural assets store carbon, cool the atmosphere and absorb flooding while providing critical habitat for diverse species, including humans.
But a new piece of particularly egregious provincial legislation is threatening that, namely Bill 5: Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act. A more accurate title is Unleashing Havoc on the Environment and our Democracy Act.
If passed, this omnibus bill would repeal the Endangered Species Act, largely wiping out protections for the habitat of endangered and threatened species. It would give Premier Doug Ford’s cabinet sweeping powers to exempt any area or project they choose from any existing provincial or municipal laws, for any reason.
Under the guise of fighting Trump’s tariffs, cutting red tape and growing the economy, Schedule 9 of this bill is an undemocratic power grab, straight from Trump’s playbook.
Schedule 9 allows the government to designate “special economic zones,” “designated projects” and “trusted proponents” to be defined later by Cabinet. A minister can hand-pick corporations and exempt them from having to comply with provincial and municipal laws and regulations.
The government is putting business interests above the environment, communities, workers and democracy.
If we want to preserve what we have for ourselves and future generations, we need to forcefully oppose this destructive and undemocratic bill. Time is of the essence. The bill has passed second reading in the legislature and is going to committee May 22 and 26.
Contact our newly-elected Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Joseph Racinsky and visit Halton Hills Climate Action to learn about more actions you can take.
Jeannine d’Entremont,
Halton Hills