Doug Ford is attempting to enact a huge power grab on Ontario’s cities and towns, one that would favour developers over community, fast approvals over building good housing for Ontario families, and continued gas dependence over renewable energy.
This is a bad deal for Ontario families. We’re being offered affordable housing but what we’ll get is out-of-date buildings and neighbourhoods that sprawl into farmlands and wetlands. This power grab makes life easy for developers and Enbridge, not for Ontario families.
If Bill 5 and Bill 17 pass, they would tear up provincial and local environmental laws, and undermine Indigenous rights. But we still have time to stop this by speaking up as parents and caregivers.
More info about Bill 5 and Bill 17:
Ontario Bill 5, Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025 would repeal the Endangered Species Act, and give “preferred developers” and industry sweeping exemptions to provincial and municipal environmental and zoning laws - these laws would simply not apply, allowing developers to pave wetlands, forests and farms and industry to release pollution into the ecosystem. There are serious concerns it would attempt to override Indigenous rights as well. It would also curtain renewable energy development.
Ontario Bill 17, Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act, 2025is an omnibus bill that will remove a substantial amount of local, municipal decision-making on roads, official plans, zoning by-laws, transit-oriented development guidelines and more. If this bill passes, municipalities in Ontario will likely not be able to implement green building policies or similar local development initiatives.