ACO Comments on Proposed Bill 5, the Protect Ontario By Unleashing Our Economy Act

AUTHOR: ACO

DATE: May 26, 2025

There are three attacks on heritage conservation being proposed by Bill 5, the Protect Ontario By Unleashing Our Economy Act. If you have 5 or 10 minutes to spare, you can help ACO, and many other organizations, fight this harmful legislation

NEWS DESCRIPTION:

Threats to Heritage:

1. Read ACO's Full Comments on the Special Economic Zones Act, 2025 - Schedule 9 of Bill 5

This Act allows Cabinet to declare any part of Ontario a "Special Economic Zone" where no rules, Acts, Regulations, Instruments (such as municipal by-laws) or conditions apply to "designated projects".

Forget about heritage conservation districts, designation, standards and guidelines.  If Ontario Place had been a "Designated Project" in a "Special Economic Zone" the Province and Infrastructure Ontario could steamed straight ahead without a single study.

2. Read ACO's Full Comments on the Proposed Rebuilding Ontario Place Act, 2023 - Schedule 8 of Bill 5
Bill 5 will amend this Act to remove the requirement for the redevelopment of Ontario Place to be subject to public scrutiny.  Proposals will no longer have to be posted on the Environmental Registry.

We will no longer know about plans to dump sewage in the West Channel, an ERO posting which got thousands of alarmed comments earlier this year before being withdrawn.

3. Read ACO's Full Comments on the Proposed Changes to Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act - Schedule 7 of Bill 5
Bill 5's proposed OHA changes remove all protection for as yet undiscovered districts and landscapes of historic and cultural significance if they happen to be in areas which "in the opinion of the Lieutenant Governor in Council ... could advance the following provincial priorities: transit, housing, health and long-term care, other infrastructure or such other priorities as may be prescribed."

Unless we do archaeological assessments, we won't know if these high priority areas contain Indigenous burial grounds or settlement areas.

The proposed changes undercut Ontario's acknowledged to "duly consult First Nations on decisions and actions that may adversely impact asserted or established Aboriginal or treaty rights."


What You Can Do

Five Minutes: Copy your comment to your local MPP and to one or more of these Conservative MPPs who have met with ACO on our annual Heritage Day visit to Queen's Park. CLICK HERE TO SEE LIST

Ten Minutes: 

• Read Environmental Defence's summary of other changes  proposed by Bill 5 and consider taking actions to prevent the wholesale destruction of our natural environment, especially Endangered Species  in Ontario.
• Skim Grand River Environmental Network's Calls to Action on Bill 5, which includes several one-click letters to Queen's Park and Premier Ford's office and cell phone numbers.