Three high-profile development projects that would immediately benefit from Ford's controversial Bill 5

Hamilton Spectator

29-05-2025

Pressure is mounting on the Ford government to withdraw its controversial Bill 5, as First Nations, environmental advocates, legal experts and opposition parties warn it threatens biodiversity, weakens environmental oversight and undermines Indigenous consultation.
Premier Doug Ford says the act is needed to protect Ontario's economy from US tariffs, but critics argue the government is using trade threats as a pretext to push through legislation that would grant it sweeping, unchecked powers to fast-track development and mining projects with little scrutiny.
At the heart of the bill is a provision that allows the provincial cabinet to create 'special economic zones,' where selected projects and developers — labelled 'trusted proponents' — could be exempt from normal permitting, environmental regulations and planning laws. The criteria for these exemptions are vague.
Now under
committee review
and likely to pass in the coming months, the bill's impact could be felt quickly. From northern mining operations to landfills and Toronto waterfront mega-projects, several high-profile developments are already flagged in the legislation — offering a glimpse of what's to come.
Under Bill 5's special economic zones framework, the proposed legislation would remove environmental assessment requirements for a
controversial landfill project in Dresden, a community
of 2,401 people in Chatham-Kent, southwestern Ontario. York1 Environmental Waste Solutions plans to resume and expand waste operations just two kilometres from town, with the site potentially receiving up to 6,000 tonnes of waste per day — much of it from the Greater Toronto Area.
Earlier this year, the ministry of the environment, conservation and parks
confirmed to Canada's National Observer
that it responded to local concerns by requiring a comprehensive environmental assessment. But under Bill 5, that requirement would be revoked.
The Chatham-Kent council has formally opposed the project and called on the province to reject it. Residents have formed a group to fight back, citing risks to groundwater, air quality, species at risk, property values and public health. The proposed 25-hectare landfill and recycling facility would be located on a site previously used for incinerator ash disposal over four decades ago.
The Ford government justifies the decision as a response to the threat of US tariffs, noting that roughly 40 per cent of waste generated by Ontario businesses is currently sent to landfills in the United States.
Peter Tabuns, the NDP's environment critic, says Bill 5 is nothing short of a power grab, and points to Dresden as a prime example of what could happen across the province. 'This bill will be used to advance the interests of well-connected developers and donors at the expense of public health, environmental protections and Indigenous rights,' he said. 'The landfill in Dresden is a good example of what we can expect — removing assessment requirements to push projects through.'
Tabuns dismissed the Ford government's claim that the bill is necessary to respond to US tariffs, suggesting the government is using trade threats from US President Donald Trump as a cover to push through changes it otherwise couldn't justify. 'You've heard the saying: 'Never waste a crisis.' That's exactly what's happening here.'
Under Bill 5, the Ford government would be exempt from providing public notice of any changes to the controversial
Ontario Place redevelopment project
. The redevelopment — driven by a long-term lease deal with Austrian resort developer Therme — has faced public opposition over the loss of green space, lack of consultation and the secrecy surrounding the deal. The plan includes a massive private spa complex on Toronto's West Island, replacing what is now a well-used public park and picnic area.
Ontario's Auditor General is
currently conducting value-for-money audits
of both the Ontario Place redevelopment and the government's decision to relocate the Ontario Science Centre to the same waterfront site.
Critics say it's another example of the Ford government using 'special economic zone' status to bypass transparency and avoid public notice requirements.
Ken Greenberg, an urban designer and member of Ontario Place for All, calls the deal a 'disaster' that has already led to the removal of over 800 mature trees and the privatization of a beloved public space.
'We've gone from backroom lease deals to now exempting everything from public oversight,' Greenberg said. 'There is no environmental logic — just a government determined to bypass the rules.'
He sees a clear pattern in the government's approach: push controversial projects through by cutting out environmental assessments and labelling them as economic priorities. 'The whole point of these exemptions is to avoid accountability,' Greenberg said. 'It's the same tactic we saw with the Greenbelt land swaps — quiet deals, rushed timelines and total disregard for the public interest.'
Under the bill, Ontario would cancel a 2011 environmental assessment agreement for mining
company Wyloo's proposed underground
nickel mine in the Ring of Fire, arguing the project scope has changed.
The agreement — originally signed in 2011 by Noront Resources (now Wyloo) — was voluntary, as mining projects are not automatically subject to Ontario's Environmental Assessment Act. It required the company to undergo a full environmental review process. Amended terms of reference were approved in 2015 after input from Indigenous communities and provincial agencies.
The province now argues the scope of the project has changed significantly, making the original agreement and terms of reference outdated. Bill 5 would formally revoke the agreement, terminate the terms of reference, and exempt the project from a comprehensive assessment under the proposed bill.
Connie O'Connor, director of the Northern Boreal Program at Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, says the bill would strip away environmental and planning safeguards, concentrating power with the minister while failing to address core challenges in Northern Ontario's mining sector. She notes Ontario's free-entry mining system already lacks meaningful consultation, especially with Indigenous communities, and allows claims without notifying landowners. Instead of fixing these gaps, she argues Bill 5 replaces oversight with unchecked discretion — likely increasing public opposition and legal delays.