Dear Editor:

Bill 5 is a disaster for the environment and our democracy.

“You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone,” sang Joni Mitchell. This is a wake-up call to us all that if we don’t act, we may lose much of what we value as Ontarians and Canadians.

The riding of Wellington-Halton Hills is blessed. We’re surrounded by the Greenbelt, fertile farmland and the magnificent Niagara Escarpment.

These natural assets store carbon, cool the atmosphere and absorb flooding while providing critical habitat for diverse species, including humans.

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Bill 5 ‘a disaster’
Jeannine d’Entremont, Halton Hills
Wellington Advertiser, May 5, 2025

Dear Editor:

I have been silent thus far on Bill 5. I have let others sound the alarm, stand up and against this dangerous legislation that threatens our democracy, our environment and consultation with our Indigenous nations. I have hoped against hope that Conservative MPPs would have learned from the debacle of the Greenbelt scandal.

Bill 5 raises the stakes to a whole new consequential level under the guise of “special economic zones.”

Bill 5 is high-handed opportunism, reactionary and disrespectful.

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Silent no more
Cinda Richardson, Fergus
Wellington Advertiser, June 14, 2025

Dear Editor:

Despite significant opposition from Indigenous groups, diverse civil society organizations and thousands of Ontarians, the Government of Ontario passed Bill 5 last week.

This legislation infringes on Indigenous rights, gives unchecked powers to provincial ministers, dismantles protections for Ontario’s most vulnerable species, overrides municipal planning and undermines democratic processes.

The public outcry about Bill 5 has been deafening from groups across sectors. More than 100 national, provincial and local organizations signed a joint letter opposing the replacement of the Endangered Species Act.

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Unchecked powers
John Hassell, Ontario Nature
Wellington Advertiser, June 11, 2025

Dear Editor:

Premier Doug Ford claims Bill 5 will “Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy.”

This bill will not protect Ontarians like you and me. In fact, part of the bill, the “Special Economic Zones Act,” removes the very laws and regulations that are meant to protect us, so that companies can more quickly profit. The bill even includes protection against lawsuits for projects within special Ford zones.

What happens when for-profit companies are unleashed? Here are some imaginable futures …

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Making the rich richer
Ailsa Kay, Fergus
Wellington Advertiser, August 13, 2025

Dear Editor:

Doug Ford is at it again! He wanted to break up the Greenbelt to make developers millions of dollars. He was called out by voters and his own MPPs and finally reversed course. Now he has devised another way to grab land and power in Bill 5.

The bill ignores environmental legislation and protections, archeological investigations, and consultation with the First Nations.

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‘Pay-to-play’ land grab
Donna McCaw, Elora
Wellington Advertiser, July 23, 2025