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The Ford government has rammed through Bill 5 the “Protect Ontario By Unleashing Our Economy Act” proposed on the eve of the Good Friday holiday. It will not only create very concerning lawless Economic Zones at the government’s whim where no provincial rules will apply, it will also fully repeal Ontario’s Endangered Species Act (ESA) for the entire province that was once heralded as world-leading.  The entire ESA will be replaced with far weaker regulations, gutting protections and allowing development to destroy habitat and restoration efforts.
Media are warning that Bill 5 will lead to an environmental “slaughterfest”, while First Nations are stating that their rights can’t simply be eliminated by the provincial government. Proposed changes to the Electricity Act would allow the government to direct Ontario’s energy agencies, like the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) and Ontario Power Generation (OPG), to stop buying goods and services from certain countries, regions or territories (e.g. China). Energy advocates are warning that by arbitrarily banning Chinese components in energy projects this bill could effectively ban new solar and wind energy in Ontario.
Groups and organizations across the province are realizing the horrors and are coming together to fight this outrageous bill that overrides environmental laws, democratic processes, municipal planning, provincial laws, and personal rights to prioritize private company profits and give “Trusted Proponents” carte blanche to do and destroy whatever they want with no recourse. This is not in the best public interest to see so much power given to so few with no oversight or rules.
Whether a Bill has passed or not, we can still fight them. We have seen the Ford government make similar efforts to override existing environmental protections in this province with the Greenbelt scandal.  Thankfully, the collective action of people in this province compelled them to reverse course on the Greenbelt legislation, and we intend to do the same with this bill. This fight is far from over.