I strongly oppose Bill 5!!!…

I strongly oppose Bill 5!!!

Bill 5 erodes environmental protections, labour protections, etc and threatens Indigenous Rights and therefore, Bill 5 must be repealed.

Bill 5 will not "protect" Ontario. It must be repealed, or at least amended to ensure that the bill does NOT give the government unprecedented and extraordinary powers to exempt corporations from the very laws, rules and regulations that protect the people and places we love in Ontario.

I oppose short cuts for industry with no oversight.

Bill 5, as written, will not "protect" Ontario, but rather would allow all provincial and municipal laws to be violated wherever the Cabinet decides. Wow! This is completely undemocratic and overrules legislation, laws, rules that have been painstaking and carefully researched and planned to protect Ontario and its animals, plants and environment for future generations.

Bill 5 must be repealed, or at least amended, to ensure that the Endangered Species Act remains in tact and is NOT repealed. The much watered down proposed replacement is not sufficient nor is it satisfactory. Ontario must ensure that all endangered species are protected.

We must repeal Bill 5 to ensure dozens of Ontario’s most at-risk species, including Caribou, Barn Owl, and Eastern Wolf, are "protected". We must have mandated recovery  strategies, and protected critical habitats — not just nests or dens, but the larger ecosystems these species need to feed, migrate and thrive. Endangered species must be treated as living beings with complex lives, not just dots on a map.

Bill 5, as written, is dangerous because it may be used by urban sprawl developers to eradicate our rarest plants, animals and their habitat with impunity. Bill 5 must be repealed to ensure that provincial and municipal laws can not be violated wherever the Cabinet decides.

Bill 5 does not consider Indigenous Rights. This is shocking and completely illegal. The government can't allow corporations, developers, mining companies, etc to override Indigenous rights!! Bill 5 must be repealed in order to uphold the rights of Indigenous Peoples as affirmed in Canadian law through the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. “We cannot build up Ontario by bulldozing down the rights of Indigenous Nations and the natural environment we all depend on and share.”

I oppose Bill 5, particularly the creation of 'special economic zones'. The government must not have unlimited power to provide any proponent or business the ability to conduct any activity it wants in any area the government chooses without oversight. Wow! The government has gone toooooooo far! Buried in Schedule 9 of this omnibus bill is the wide-ranging power to create “special economic zones” anywhere in the province. Within these zones, the provincial government can suspend or override all existing laws and regulations around labour conditions, health and safety, and environmental protections, as well as municipal regulations.
“The effects on workers, families and communities will be disastrous,” said CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn.

Under Bill 5, the Ford Conservatives could turn entire cities – like Toronto or Windsor or Sudbury – into special economic zones. Any region could be named one in which fundamental labour rights and protections no longer apply, including those around child labour, the right to refuse unsafe work, and even basic meal breaks.

“Existing Ontario labour law won’t apply in these special economic zones. Under the cloak of an impending economic crisis and the guise of fighting tariffs, Doug Ford plans on delivering workers to the wild west of working conditions, all to the benefit of big business,” said Hahn.

All the reasons outlined by CUPE make Bill 5 one of the most heinous bills from the government and must be repealed!!! Ontario cannot go backwards when it comes to labour laws!!!

Additional concerns:

• I am concerned that the proposed changes to the Electricity Act, 1998, and the Ontario Energy Board Act, 1998 might empower the Minister to kneecap renewable energy projects and make it harder and more expensive for Ontario to wean itself off fossil gas plants whose viability depends on U.S. fracked gas. Weaning off US gas sooner than later must be a priority for the government now. Considering the current trade situation, it seems to me, it would be more imperative than ever to wear off US gas. We must look to more renewables on the Canadian side of the border! Ontario must focus on made-in-Ontario renewable electricity instead of relying on U.S. fracked gas and fossil gas plants

• I am concerned that the proposed changes to the Environmental Assessment Act would break the government’s clear promise to require a full environmental assessment of York1’s proposed dump site in Dresden, Ontario.

• We have already had enough of Doug Ford’s private spas, his backroom deals for developer buddies and his disregard for Indigenous rights, people and Nature? We don't need anymore!

• I am concerned that Bill 5 could be used to as a shortcut to build Highway 413, the Bradford By-pass, the Highway 401"tunnel" or any other project that the Premier wants to.push through with no opposition.

BILL 5 MUST BE REPEALED! I want strong environmental protections, Indigenous Rights, health and safety laws, fundamental labour rights, etc to continue no matter where one lives and works in Ontario. Prioritize Ontarians, not corporations, companies, businesses, etc.

REPEAL BILL 5!