Schedule 9 of Bill 5…

Schedule 9 of Bill 5 proposes to permit the creation of Special Economic Zones, SEZs which gives legislative power to the executive branch to not only create these zones but to define them and designate and define 'trusted proponents' and projects. This power should be exercised and overseen by the legislature, not cabinet. There is neither democratic process nor transparency in this proposal. There is no criteria given for SEZs nor for 'trusted proponents', nor for projects. It is unacceptable to leave it to the Minister to define these terms and conditions and which provincial and municipal laws they won't be obligated to comply with. Exemptions designated by cabinet of these zones from applicable provincial and municipal laws is far reaching and unconstitutional. SEZs could be created for any purpose. All of the above amounts to unrestricted power grab given by our government to the Minister and cabinet. This is unacceptable. There are no checks and balances to ensure the legislature can see and assess how SEZs are created and used. Shedule 9 is contrary to the Rule of Law and to the powers given to our provincial government . Schedule 9 is against Canadian principles of democracy and a direct attack on the Rule of Law in Ontario under the guise of an 'emergency' of the US/Canada trade war. There is no emergency that exists to justify this power grab. We are not at war, there is no pandemic. Even if the trade issues with the US were problematic enough to justify far-reaching executive powers, there would be checks and balances on the exercise of such powers by the legislature , temporarily given with conditions and reviews on their duration, and deadlines. None of that exists here. Under Schedule 9 the minister can handpick corporations, developers, and friends or their projects for Special Economic Zones and exempt them from compliance with provincial and municipal laws. This is enormous discretion given with no transparency nor legislative oversight, but rather to accommodate friends of the government of the day and their self-interest. Our government has betrayed us in the overstepping, far reaching, undemocratic, desire to ignore the rule of law, transparency, and due process, in proposing unconstitutional legislation that removes the role of the legislature and hands it to cabinet. This is not only an attack on the People of Ontario but on the Rule of Law. Schedule 9 of Bill 5 must be removed in its entirety.