This sounds like another…

This sounds like another Ontario Place scheme, where public input was ignored or not even requested and the result is a really bad development of public lands, where a few people are going to benefit at the expense of all Ontario Tax Payers.
It also sounds like the Ontario Land Tribunal, that has a board stacked with insiders and as per the Hamilton Spectator and the Trillium, in 2022 voted 97% in favour of developers. No matter how bad the project was and no matter how local government Planners and Citizens protested, the vast majority of projects were still were approved.
I strongly oppose Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act. This legislation poses a serious threat to Ontario’s natural heritage, democratic processes and Indigenous rights.

Bill 5 proposes to repeal the Endangered Species Act — one of the few tools we have to protect at-risk wildlife and the ecosystems they depend on. Replacing it with vague “goals” and unenforceable measures will lead to the further decline of species already on the brink. This is not modernization. It’s deregulation that puts short-term industrial gain ahead of long-term ecological and community health.

Equally alarming is the creation of “special economic zones” that would allow cabinet to approve major development projects without proper environmental assessment, public input or Indigenous consultation. This short cut for Ford’s friends undermines transparency, accountability and Ontario’s duty to uphold Indigenous rights and treaties.

Ontarians have not asked for weaker protections or less say in decisions that affect the province’s land, water and future. Bill 5 would silence community voices, marginalize science and erase decades of hard-won environmental progress.

I urge the Ontario government to withdraw Bill 5 in its entirety and instead work with environmental experts, Indigenous leaders and the public to strengthen — not dismantle — our systems of environmental protection.

Protecting nature is not a barrier to economic growth. It’s the foundation of a healthy, resilient and just society.