Latest news with #economiczones
Times of Oman
15 hours ago
- Business
- Times of Oman
OPAZ engages with the community via ‘Tajawob' platform
Muscat: The Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (Opaz) engaged with several suggestions, complaints, reports and inquiries submitted via the national platform 'Tajawob' until the end of May. A total of 44 requests were received, including 12 suggestions, 10 complaints, 20 inquiries and 2 reports, reflecting a growing interaction aimed at enhancing public participation tools. Dr. Ahmed bin Saif Al Mamari, Acting Director of Customer Services Department at Opaz, confirmed that all requests received via the platform have been given due attention since its launch in late February. Complaints were handled within record timeframes, with the shortest response time recorded at under 10 minutes and the longest at two days. Most inquiries focused on investment procedures, company registration and investor visas. Complaints, meanwhile, were referred to the relevant departments for resolution. He stated that the received suggestions were diverse, including the development of incubators in industrial cities, enhancement of the tourism front in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm (Sezad), and the renaming of certain industrial cities under the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (Madayn). All suggestions have been referred to the relevant departments within the Authority and the zones it supervises for study and evaluation. Al Mamari also mentioned that some of the submissions received via the platform included innovative proposals, reflecting the level of public engagement with global technological and scientific advancements. One notable suggestion involved utilising the advancements in drone technology for the transport sector, which was referred to a specialised consultancy, while technical experts in the zone provided their input directly to the proposer. The Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones affirmed that the national platform for suggestions, complaints, reports and inquiries, will contribute to strengthening community partnership and effective communication, as well as improving the business environment through continuous engagement, high transparency and prompt responsiveness.
CBC
4 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Special economic zones: the secret weapon in Doug Ford's Bill 5
Premier Doug Ford's justification for his controversial Bill 5 is to protect Ontario's economy against the threats posed by U.S. President Donald Trump by reducing red tape and speeding up approvals of major projects. Ford campaigned vociferously on that theme this winter and it carried his Progressive Conservative Party to its third straight majority. However, Ford never said a word during the 29-day election campaign about the single most powerful thing in Bill 5: granting cabinet the authority to create "special economic zones." The bill would enable cabinet to designate any location in Ontario as a special economic zone, and then to exempt any company or project in the zone from having to comply with whichever provincial laws, provincial regulations or municipal bylaws the government chooses. It opens the door for cabinet to declare that such things as Ontario's minimum wage rules, its environmental regulations, its tax laws or a city's noise restrictions don't apply in the designated zone. No other Canadian province has anything like this. Asked to name jurisdictions that do, Ford government officials offered a list that includes Singapore, South Korea, Poland and Panama. "Essentially, the cabinet could give corporations a free pass to circumvent all sorts of important protections," Anaïs Bussières McNicoll, a director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, said in an interview. WATCH | Ontario NDP, Liberals successfully stall Bill 5 with midnight filibuster: Ontario NDP, Liberals successfully stall Bill 5 with midnight filibuster 16 hours ago Duration 3:36 Bussières McNicoll says the powers government would get to create special economic zones are akin to emergency powers to override laws, and should therefore be time-limited with checks and balances. 'Easier for companies to invest' Ford and his ministers haven't been quite as specific in explaining the purpose of special economic zones as they've been with other parts of Bill 5, such as shortening the timelines for mining approvals or replacing Ontario's endangered species legislation. "We need to get rid of unnecessary red tape, make it easier for companies to invest, to hire and to grow, and that's exactly what Bill 5 is going to do," said Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Jobs and Trade, in question period Wednesday. Under the bill, Fedeli is the minister who gets the power to hand out the legal exemptions to companies of his choosing in the special economic zones. There's some indication the zones are meant to attract foreign investment. There's a line in the text of Bill 5 that talks of making Ontario "the best place in the G7 to invest, create jobs and do business." What's not in the bill are any criteria for deciding which locations, companies or projects would be eligible to be a special economic zone, nor any limits on which laws could be taken off the books in such zones. The only caveat in the Special Economic Zones Act section of Bill 5 was added by the government as an afterthought, more than a month after tabling it: a clause saying that its provisions will be consistent with existing Indigenous and treaty rights under the Constitution. Ring of Fire, 401 tunnel are candidates The government added that clause on Wednesday, six weeks after Ford first signalled that his top priority for a special economic zone is the Ring of Fire mineral deposit in the treaty lands of northern Ontario. The government now says it won't actually designate such a zone in the Ring of Fire without consulting with First Nations, but that hasn't satisfied First Nations leaders who feel the government shouldn't have plowed ahead with the bill without consulting first. The other project Ford has floated as a candidate for a special economic zone is his idea of building a tunnel under Highway 401 through Toronto. But there's nothing in the legislation stopping the government from giving any project or business in Ontario the special status. WATCH | First Nation leaders tell Ford government to kill Bill 5: First Nation leaders tell Ford government to kill Bill 5 3 days ago Duration 2:14 Critics of Doug Ford's Bill 5 say the proposed law would gut environmental protections for wildlife and infringe on treaty rights. As CBC's Mike Crawley reports, Ontario First Nations leaders are now warning of 'conflict on the ground' if it passes. For instance, it could declare the massive Volkswagen electric vehicle battery plant to be built in St. Thomas, Ont. — described as the largest auto industry deal in Canadian history — a special economic zone, and exempt the company from whichever laws cabinet chooses. "You can call them special economic zones, but what we know you are doing is opening up the floodgates for an abuse of power by government," NDP Leader Marit Stiles said. 'The power to override every law' "The government is giving themselves the power to override every law," Stiles said in question period on Wednesday. Ford has expressed disbelief at the opposition to Bill 5, insisting that his entire campaign focused on its measures and that the voters gave him a mandate to take action. "I was crystal clear about getting rid of the red tape, getting rid of the regulations, making sure that we attract investments," Ford said in question period Tuesday. It's true that Ford promised during the campaign to speed up mining approvals and to shrink bureaucracy, both central parts of Bill 5. However, the phrase "special economic zones" never publicly crossed his lips, nor does it appear in the PC platform. The closest the platform comes is a paragraph that promises to designate areas with multiple deposits of critical minerals as "regions of strategic importance" where select projects would get "automatic" approvals to proceed with early phases of work — nowhere near as sweeping as the blank cheque of special economic zones as laid out in Bill 5. Labour unions say Ford is using the Trump threat as a pretext to create the zones. "Under the cloak of an impending economic crisis and the guise of fighting tariffs, Doug Ford plans on delivering workers to the wild west of working conditions, all to the benefit of big business," said CUPE Ontario president Fred Hahn in a statement. Greenbelt parallels It's not a stretch to see parallels between Ford's move to create special economic zones (as a response to the tariff threat) and his move a few months after the 2022 election to allow development on certain properties in the Greenbelt (as a response to the housing crisis.) Both measures involve giving select companies special exemptions from existing rules, neither measure was promised during the preceding campaign and it's unclear how effective either measure would be in achieving its stated economic goal. Ford ultimately reversed course on the Greenbelt.
National Post
4 days ago
- Business
- National Post
Randall Denley: Ontario ends the Ring of Fire 'consultation' quagmire to finally get it done
Ontario Premier Doug Ford wants to break up the status quo of process, endless consultation and delay that has bogged down major infrastructure project approvals in the province. It's about time. Article content Ford's Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, aims to speed things up by creating 'special economic zones' that would exempt big projects from many municipal and provincial rules. The bill would allow cabinet to designate those zones and decide what rules apply. Article content Article content It can take a big club to break up the status quo. Bill 5 is certainly such a club, and no one swings one quite like Ford. This is his 'Get It Done' mantra in action. Article content Article content Ford aims to use the new rules to get development started in the Ring of Fire, a promising mining area in the Hudson's Bay lowlands that occupies about 5,000 square kilometres and is rich in nickel, chromite, platinum, palladium and copper. The land is a combination of federal and provincial Crown land and Indigenous reserve land. Article content Naturally, the idea of government approving anything expeditiously is strange and shocking to some Ontarians. Ford's plan to develop the area without years of additional study and consultation has enraged environmental and certain Indigenous groups, who fundamentally oppose anything that would alter the natural world. The provincial NDP and Liberal parties are also furious. Article content Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation is predicting 'conflict on the ground' with actions that will land protesters in jail. The Chiefs of Ontario, representing the province's 133 First Nations, says the bill should be killed and the process should start with consultation with Indigenous Peoples. Article content Article content New Democrat MPP Sol Mamakwa, who represents the mining area, anticipates blockages of mines and roads. NDP Leader Marit Stiles wants the whole bill scrapped, and Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie calls it a 'power grab.' Article content Article content To these groups, Bill 5 is another Doug Ford outrage, and yet Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he will introduce federal legislation that is remarkably similar to Ford's. It will offer fast-tracked approval in two years and reduced regulations for major infrastructure projects like Ontario's Ring of Fire, which Ford has identified as his top priority for the new federal approach. Article content The issue in Ontario, if there is one, is that the first version of the bill did not explicitly cite Indigenous People's constitutional right to consultation, a shortcoming that has since been remedied.
CBC
5 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Will laws apply in Ontario's 'special economic zones'?
The Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act – also known as Bill 5 – aims to fast track mining projects in Ontario and gives the government the power to create 'special economic zones' that would grant the government the power to exempt companies from still-unspecified laws. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has framed these measures as necessary to protect the province against the threat of Donald Trump's trade war. But the sweeping power it affords the government has Indigenous groups, the Civil Liberties Association and more sounding the alarm. Mike Crawley is a senior reporter with CBC News covering Ontario and he's here to break down the bill, the controversy around it and whether 'cutting red tape' is really the answer to the economic threat posed by Donald Trump.
Zawya
6 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
The African Development Bank approves an investment of US$100 million in Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms Limited.
The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank ( has approved an investment of $100 million in the industrial platform developer and operator Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms Ltd (Arise IIP) to contribute to funding industrial parks and special economic zones across Africa as a part of our industrialization strategic priority and flagship Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ). The industrial platforms developed and operated by Arise IIP are primarily dedicated to supporting the transformation of key agricultural and industrial value chains in African countries that are leading global suppliers of raw commodities but have limited local processing capabilities. The platforms will provide developed industrial land, shared infrastructure and utilities, good export connectivity and simplified administrative procedures to agro-industrial tenants, allowing them to relocate global supply chains and value addition within African countries, while contributing to the reduction of carbon footprint of trade flows. Arise IIP seeks to replicate its successful industrial platform implementation experience in Gabon, Togo and Benin by establishing Special Economic Zones across other African countries with the aim of improving Africa's export competitiveness and intra-Africa trade strategies. ' There is economic and social value to be added to African-grown commodities like timber, cashew, cocoa and cotton when they are processed locally instead of being exported in raw form. Through programs like the African Development Bank's Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones and investments in Zones partner companies like Arise IIP, we enable transformative, private sector-led agro-industrialization that boosts local processing of commodities, creates jobs and grows rural economies,' said Dr. Beth Dunford, the African Development Bank's Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development. Based on Arise IIP's existing portfolio in Gabon (Gabon Special Economic Zone - GSEZ), Benin (Glo Djigbe Industrial Zone - GDIZ) and Togo (Plateforme Industrielle d'Adetikope - PIA), it is estimated that over 400 companies have been on-boarded from 47 industry sectors, which has led to the creation of over 50,000 jobs. The dominant sectors include wood, glass, soya, cashew processing, cotton processing and textiles, ceramics, beverages, pharmaceuticals and meat processing. It is also estimated that over $7 billion has been mobilized by tenant companies within the existing zones. ' This investment in ARISE IIP is a signal of the Bank's commitment to scaling up industrialization in Africa in value chains where we are competitive. This is also a demonstration of the strategic partnership we have with African MFIs such as the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) and the Fund for Export Development in Africa (FEDA), the Afreximbank's equity impact investment arm, who are the principal equity investors in ARISE IIP. This is a good demonstration of our joint goals of making Africa's capital work better for Africa's development ', said Solomon Quaynor, African Development Bank's Vice President for Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization. Gagan Gupta, CEO of Arise IIP, remarked, " The African Development Bank's investment highlights their confidence in our model as a driver of Africa's industrial growth. We are excited to strengthen our efforts in transforming local value chains, creating jobs, and supporting sustainable economic development across the continent. The dedication, vision, and hard work of the entire Arise team have been instrumental in building this partnership." Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB). Media contacts: Alexis Adélé Communication and External Relations Department media@ For Arise IIP: Audrey Mebaley Global Head of Communications Arise IIP About the African Development Bank Group: The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) is the premier multilateral financing institution dedicated to Africa's development. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NSF). The AfDB has a field presence in 41 African countries, with an external office in Japan, and contributes to the economic developm ent and social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information: About Arise IIP: ARISE Integrated Industrial Platforms (ARISE IIP) is a pan-African developer and operator of world-class industrial parks committed to making Africa thrive. Arise IIP identifies opportunities in commercial and industrial value chains across Africa, and conceives, finances, builds and operates the necessary infrastructure, playing a catalytic role in supporting countries to transition to an industrial economy. Arise IIP is driven by the pursuit of green growth, with an ambition to unlock the continent's industrial potential while neutralizing carbon emissions and climate impact. (Website:
