We Need to Reverse Premier Ford's Power Grab
Premier Ford promised to protect Ontario. But now that he's been elected, he is already breaking that promise. His latest bill gives his friends special permissions to ignore laws that protect us and our environment.
No guardrails.
No accountability.
Bill 5 must be repealed.
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Bill 5 Breakdown
Here's how Bill 5 gives the premier and his cabinet unprecedented power over our province.
Bill 5 allows the Ford government to create “special economic zones” where “trusted proponents” (i.e. whoever the Premier chooses) can be exempted from all provincial and municipal laws. Not just environmental laws – this could also include labour, traffic or health and safety laws, and municipal laws too.
RULE OF LAW
Bill 5 will repeal Ontario's Endangered Species Act, ending most meaningful protections for endangered, threatened and special-concern species. Habitat protections will be limited to a species’ immediate dwelling place (like a den or a nest) but not the surrounding forests or wetlands it depends on for food. Decisions about which species are endangered or threatened can be made by government cabinet ministers instead of scientists.
SPECIES AT RISK
Bill 5 enables the government to ban all parts of energy projects that come from abroad, especially China. China makes the majority of solar panels (over 80 per cent), wind turbines (around 60 per cent) and control systems in the world. Bill 5 could end solar power installation in Ontario and deprive Ontarians access to the cleanest source of new electricity available.
CLEAN ENERGY
Developers doing business in the government’s “special economic zones” could be exempted from any provincial or municipal laws, including labour laws that make workplaces safe or prevent union-busting.
LABOUR LAWS
The loosening of rules within these “special economic zones" could be used to undermine Indigenous sovereignty and the constitutional right to free, prior and informed consent. The Ford government has already indicated that it will designate the Ring of Fire as a special economic zone to fast-track critical mineral mining, despite a lack of consultation with First Nations whose lands fall within the area.
INDIGENOUS RIGHTS
Developers doing business in the government “special economic zones” could be exempted from any provincial or municipal laws, including health and safety laws, traffic and speeding laws, or even laws that prevent trespassing on private property.
PUBLIC SAFETY
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