Bill 5 is an unacceptable…

Bill 5 is an unacceptable abuse of power. The government had no business passing the original Act in relation to Ontario Place. We are already seeing some the effects of the government being allowed to unilaterally make decisions. A roving pack of coyotes in downtown Toronto is part of what happens when the government is allowed to destroy existing habitats without appropriate environmental consultation. This is not to say we can't have development, but the legal safeguards we have put in place exist for good reason. The environment matters, labour rules matter, the voices of indigenous stakeholders matter. These checks exist to protect us all and ensure that even the best intentioned plans don't result in preventable damage.

The suggestion that the government should be allowed to run unchecked and without liability for potential poor decision making is, at best, naive over-confidence. At its worst, this Bill opens the door to immense corruption and abuse of power. If the government wants to speed up development, perhaps they should work on creating plans all stakeholders can get onside with instead of making themselves the sole arbiters of whom and what deserves the protection of the law.