As a sustainability…

As a sustainability professor and someone deeply engaged in environmental and social equity issues, I’m writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed Special Economic Zones Act, 2025 (Bill 5). This legislation is a step in the wrong direction for Ontario—one that prioritizes unchecked development over environmental protection, Indigenous rights, and worker justice.

The idea of creating special zones where environmental and planning regulations can be bypassed is deeply troubling. We’re facing a climate crisis and biodiversity collapse, and instead of strengthening safeguards, this Act creates loopholes. Fast-tracking development without proper environmental oversight isn’t efficient—it’s reckless. Weakening protections for endangered species and water systems in the name of economic growth is the opposite of sustainability.

What’s equally disturbing is the complete lack of any requirement for Indigenous consultation or consent. This Act ignores the rights of Indigenous Peoples and undermines the principles of reconciliation and respect that should be guiding provincial policy. If the government is serious about truth and reconciliation, it cannot move forward with legislation that sidelines Indigenous communities, especially on matters involving land and environmental stewardship.

On top of that, the potential to exempt projects from labour standards raises serious red flags. Economic zones that allow for weaker protections for workers set a dangerous precedent. The idea that people working in these zones could be subject to reduced safety standards or lose the right to organize and advocate for fair treatment is unacceptable.

This legislation appears to be about cutting corners, not building a fair, resilient economy. If Ontario wants to lead in sustainable development, we need policies that integrate economic, environmental, and social well-being, not ones that trade one off for the other.

I urge the government to scrap this Act and instead engage in a transparent, meaningful consultation process with Indigenous Nations, labour organizations, environmental experts, and the public. We need forward-thinking policies, not special carve-outs that roll back decades of hard-won progress.