PLEASE DO NOT PASS BILL 5!…

PLEASE DO NOT PASS BILL 5!
In my own right and also in support of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario, I am writing to express my dismay that Premier Ford has introduced Bill 5, which would give him and his Cabinet dictatorial power. It would allow any person or business of his and his Cabinet’s choice to ignore any and every  provincial or municipal law including those protecting heritage structures and landscapes, the environment, endangered species, and farmland.
If passed, Bill 5, would:
-declare any part of Ontario a "Special Economic Zone" where no rules, Acts, Regulations, Instruments (such as municipal by-laws) or conditions apply to "designated projects", and thereby potentially cause the loss of many designated heritage structures, conservation districts and cultural heritage landscapes across Ontario.
-remove the requirement for the redevelopment of Ontario Place to be subject to public scrutiny meaning that proposals will no longer need to be posted on the Environmental Registry.
-remove all Ontario Heritage Act protection for as yet undiscovered districts and landscapes of historic and cultural significance if they happen to be in areas  which "in the opinion of the Lieutenant Governor in Council  ... could advance the following provincial priorities: transit, housing, health and long-term care, other infrastructure or such other priorities as may be prescribed." Without archaeological assessments, we won't know if these high priority areas contain Indigenous burial grounds or settlement. These proposed changes also undercut Ontario's acknowledged duty to "consult First Nations on decisions and actions that may adversely impact asserted or established Aboriginal or treaty rights."
-Repeal Ontario’s Endangered Species Act, 2007, marking the end of meaningful protections for endangered, threatened and special concern species in Ontario.
-Exempt the Premier’s preferred developers from the requirements of the Environmental Bill of Rights

Bill 5 is an attack on democracy and the rule of law. I am asking again that you please do not pass Bill 5.

Sincerely,
Susan Layard