I am writing to strongly…

I am writing to strongly oppose Bill 5: the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act and its dangerous proposals, including the creation of Special Economic Zones, the weakening of Ontario’s endangered species protections, and the exemption of the Chatham-Kent waste disposal site from a comprehensive environmental assessment.

Bill 5 would give the government extreme new powers to ignore laws that protect the public health, Indigenous rights, Ontario's long term economic health, and environment without accountability. This is unacceptable, unethical, and short sighted.

I urge you to reconsider this legislation and extend your deadlines to engage in more meaningful consultation. There is a LOT at stake here you are proposing to remove numerous checks and balances and meaningful consideration on important and irreversible decisions - and allowing only 30 days to review and comment (2 weeks of which we were all preoccupied with a federal election). This does not instill trust in the PC party in government.

After the corruption and mismanagement that was uncovered during the "Greenbelt Scandal" and Ontario Place redevelopment, I don't think the people of Ontario have much faith in the premier or his ministers' judgement/motivation to "designate trusted proponents and projects". Your proposal is very light in details when it comes to "criteria". Designating a proponent or project as exempt from "requirements under an Act, regulation or other instrument under an Act, including by-laws of a municipality or local board" is a COMPLETE over reach!

Your government is using a manufactured crisis to ask the people of Ontario to write you a blank cheque, a free pass to the people you choose. Given your government's track record - I think this is ill-advised at best and extremely dangerous at worst.