With the passing of Bill 5 – the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025 – Environment Haliburton! president Susan Hay says the impact could be easily felt in Haliburton County.
Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott was one of the Conservatives who voted in favour.
Hay said, according to a recent Environmental Defense document, schedule 9 of the bill would enable the premier and cabinet to exempt any person or company from provincial, and municipal law, including bylaws.
“Any portion of Ontario they choose, no matter whether a city or a commercial property or a cottage lot for any purpose.”
She said The Alliance for a Liveable Ontario says the bill is a power grab that will give premier Doug Ford and his
Cabinet extraordinary powers to ignore key provincial laws they don’t like.
“Bill 5 creates special economic zones anywhere in Ontario, and that includes Haliburton County,” Hay said. “Hand-picked companies chosen by the province to do business in these zones are exempt from a whole host of existing
laws.
“This bill will supersede usual consultation on projects; consultation which protects people, other creatures, plants and clean water. Although the ‘ring of fire’ is one of Ford’s main targets, Haliburton County could certainly be impacted by this bill. The main way our County could be impacted is by the gutting of the Species at Risk Act.
“Haliburton County with its forests and over 600 lakes is home to many species at risk, including all species of Ontario turtles.”
Hay added the new Species Conservation Act, 2025 (SCA) as part of Bill 5, is expected to be significantly weaker in its habitat protection measures
She said environmentalists, such as Shane Moffatt of Ontario Nature, say environmental protections are not red
tape, but instead are crucial safeguards for clean air, water and the ecosystems that all Ontarians depend on.
“We’re in the middle of a global biodiversity crisis, and the last thing that Ontario should be doing … is weakening
protections for endangered species,” Moffatt has said.
Ontario Environment Minister Todd McCarthy, speaking in support of the bill, said it will increase enforcement
powers for the province. However, Laura Bowman, a lawyer from Ecojustice Canada says stronger enforcement powers don’t help if there aren’t many rules to enforce in the first place.
Scott votes in favour
Scott said there are many components to Bill 5, however she said they had to make a lot of changes for different reasons while striking a balance. The MPP said that fine line is between the economic frustrations of the province, municipalities, builders, and the average person over things such as permits, and slowness. “We had to take a different approach to getting things built quicker. But they can’t dismiss environmental concerns.”
She said while streamlined, municipalities and environmental and other ministries will still be involved.
“You want housing; you want infrastructure but then you get tied up with things. We’re trying to balance it with more streamlining.”
She said Species at Risk becomes the new Species Conservation Act. She said there would be an online registry, versus files being on people’s desks for years. She said there would be more rules, investigations, and more and larger fines if people are breaking the rules that exist around species conservation. She added there is duty to
consult with First Nations.
“We’re trying to strike the right balance and it’s between protections and advancing projects. We have to compete.”
