The Ford government should…

The Ford government should not be allowed to give itself sweeping powers in the name of the economy. I believe we have to protect the people and the environment around us first and always before development happens. It just makes sense and avoids mistakes. Creating "Special Economic Zones " as well as "trusted proponents" gives the province too much power. Cabinet should not be allowed to exempt these proponents and projects from requirements of provincial and municipal laws and local boards that apply in any zone.

CABINET SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BLOCK COURT ACTIONS THAT WOULD ARISE FROM THIS POWER.

Doug Ford's insistence that these special powers he is seeking is due to Trump Tariffs. At present we do NOT have a waste crisis in Ontario. Ford should be seeking more suitable locations at present rather than trying to railroad this Dresden Landfill deal through. Ford's goal is to rush one of the largest landfills in Ontario through before Dresden can stop it. That is what this bill boils down to. So instead of ruining a small historic town, Mr. Ford, you start looking for new locations near a highway and away from towns. You do not place one of the largest landfills in Ontario less than a kilometre from the entry to a town and a high school. You don't line trucks down the highway to a location filled with heavy, slow moving, farm vehicles and buses filled with local school children. Dresden residents have been fighting this proposal for over a year and were promised an Environmental Assessment. THIS PROPOSAL IS RIDICULOUS. I was raised in Dresden and I cannot believe this is happening to such a beautiful agricultural town. To avoid this EA and force his landfill through, Ford introduced this bill. York 1 is also a big contributor to his election campaign. I smell a rat.

Ford wants any project that presents a major economic opportunity under this new legislation to be included. That is a very dangerous concept. We must do a better job to protect the farmland in Ontario to grow food. We should not be dumping waste on it. Why aren't we transporting waste or at least some of it by rail rather than on our highways? We should be looking at increasing recycling in areas where we do not do a good job, like high rise buildings. Make waste into materials for roads or recycle it into something else. We can do more to reduce our waste. Send delegates to European countries to study their successes and see how we can improve.

The Ring of Fire mining development should also face an Environmental Assessment.

Gutting protections for endangered species outlined in Bill 5 is also very dangerous. Protections put in place to secure environments for endangered species is essential. The Expert Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario should be determining how we move forward and not Cabinet. Archeology protections must remain in place to preserve findings without exemptions.

First Nations should be consulted about "Special Economic Zones" and how such decisions may affect their health, their safety, and their environment.

I believe in economic development that moves forward and respects the people that live in the affected area and their rights. No premier, no developer, and no cabinet has the right to ignore the people and what is best for them. Bill 5's Special Economic Zones gives too much power to politicians and no say to the people that are affected by such decisions. THIS BILL SHOULD NOT PASS FOR THE AFOREMENTIONED REASONS. I BELIEVE BILL 5 SHOULD BE TORN UP.