I am deeply opposed to the…

I am deeply opposed to the proposed Special Economic Zones Act / Bill 5.

This Act would give Premier Ford and his cabinet unprecedented power over our communities, including powers to dictate who is exempt from the law and who is not. By allowing Cabinet to create law-free zones, where provincial and municipal laws do not apply, due process and democratic consultation would be threatened, if not entirely eliminated. This Bill would extend the same law-free status to any project or proponent chosen by the Cabinet, creating situations of unlimited powers without any checks or balances.

These “Special Economic Zones” are not guaranteed to meet their economic goals and are more likely guaranteed to have significant social, human rights and environmental damage. This move is a staggering affront to Indigenous rights. No consent has been given to develop extractive industries in Northern Ontario, in particular the Ring of Fire, and this proposed Bill seems like a move to sidestep First Nations Law and Rights. Bill 5 sends a clear message that Reconciliation is a farce and that colonialism is alive and well.

The proposed Bill says that this is an "opportunity to fast-track" housing projects and infrastructure. This government has shown that it's interests in these projects are to developers and wealthy friends, which the Greenbelt scandal, Ontario Place, the Science Centre exemplify. There has been no trust established to believe that the proposed Bill will protect the interests of communities, workers and environments.
Without a methodical, structured approach to planning that takes time to evaluate and weight the outcomes of development, unintended after affects will create irrevocable damage to the places that we pride ourselves in being a part of and love.