Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he will make the Ring of Fire a special economic zone “as quickly as possible,” without saying which laws companies would be able to skirt around under the new designation.
“We need to start moving on that,” Ford told reporters Thursday after his government’s Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, received royal assent.
“I just want to speed up the process.”
The legislation gives cabinet the power to designate “special economic zones” where it could exempt projects and proponents, like companies, from provincial and municipal laws and regulations.
It also replaces Ontario’s Endangered Species Act with new legislation that environmental organizations have warned would weaken protections, among other things.
Bill 5 has been at the heart of multiple protests at Queen’s Park, with First Nations in particular accusing the premier of lying about the bill and not properly consulting Indigenous people.
Multiple First Nations leaders have said they would continue protesting the legislation, warning it could reinvigorate a movement similar to Idle No More and spark blockades.
Opposition parties used multiple tactics to delay the passage of the bill, including making thousands of amendments in an effort to give the government time to change its mind and consult with First Nations prior to making the bill law.
However, the Progressive Conservatives used their majority to push the legislation through the house before rising for the summer, during which time the premier has said consultations will take place all across Ontario.
Indigenous Minister Greg Rickford is kickstarting those consultations by participating in Anishinabek Nation’s annual general meeting today.
“We’re going to be consulting all summer, both Minister Rickford and Minister (Stephen) Lecce and myself and Minister (Vic) Fedeli. We’re all out there, communicating, coming up with a plan, and again, if someone doesn't want to move forward, well that's going to hurt their community,” Ford said.
It’s also the justification the PCs are using to delay the return of the house until Oct. 20, when they were originally scheduled to rise again after their summer break on Sept. 8.
“We’ve had a very ambitious spring sitting,” government house leader Steve Clark said. “The government is now looking for time to implement that policy.”
“It's very important that we take the historic agenda, with the passage of those 10 government bills, for us to take the summer to consult and to work with Indigenous leaders, the business community, community leaders, stakeholders, to get that policy and those bills implemented.”
The premier did not say if he would wait until those consultations wrap up before designating an area as a special economic zone.
The premier also wouldn’t say what specific laws he would hope to bypass in the special economic zones, saying “let’s see what companies come to the table and depending on how quickly we get opportunities and jobs, we’ll review them.”
“It’s not the same thing with every situation, and when we feel that we need to speed things up, we’ll speed things up,” he said.
The opposition is calling for Rickford’s resignation, arguing he has “done irreparable damage to the relationship between the province and First Nations.”
“He's telling First Nations ‘this is what you should be doing’ instead of listening, instead of working together in partnerships,” NDP Leader Mariti Stiles told reporters Thursday.
“We will not find a path forward with this minister of Indigenous Affairs at the helm. He has led us into chaos and uncertainty, and he needs to be replaced.”
