We object to Bill 5. Here…

We object to Bill 5. Here are only a few of the reasons.

Bill 5 bypasses the rule of law. It is a direct power grab, non-democratic, and creates huge executive power with no checks and balances. Therefore, I object to Bill 5. We wish to lodge our complete opposition to the entire bill. It must be withdrawn.

Schedule 9 – Special Economic Zones Act - would allow the Premier/Cabinet to designate Special Economic Zones and to choose ANY projects, ANY proponents (developer friends?), anywhere, anytime, and for any reason. Once designated, these zones and their proponents would be exempt from ALL existing provincial and municipal laws (including environmental, Indigenous rights, labour, public and worker safety, heritage and even the Environmental Bill of Rights).
That means the rule of law will no longer apply in these zones. Therefore, we object to Bill 5.

The subterfuge of replacing the Endangered Species Act of 2007 with a watered down “new, modern approach to species conservation” is appalling. It overturns decades of progress to save and protect Ontario’s remaining ecosystems and to restore damaged ecosystems. Therefore, we object to Bill 5.

The “Species Conservation Act, 2025 moves the province from ECOSYSTEMS management to a fragmentary system which under a new definition of “habitat” will protect a minimal area as small as a nest or the area around the root structure of an individual plant or tree! This will not protect endangered species which we know live in interconnected ecosystems, not tiny plots of land. Therefore, we object to Bill 5.

Watersheds are ecosystems. Watershed management is a key to environmental survival in the area of Ontario where we live (District of Muskoka). We object to fragmentizing the region by removing systems environmental protections or creating Special Economic Zones in some parts of the region. Therefore, we object to Bill 5.

Finally, opening up the largest peat bog on the planet to mining, thereby releasing a massive climate heating methane “bomb” at this time when those peat areas are critical to global climate stability is appalling. If the designation Special Economic Zone is applied to it, Indigenous sovereignty rights will be trampled. Therefore, we object to Bill 5.