Ontario's Bill 5, now law, enables the government to establish special economic zones that can bypass provincial and municipal regulations. Premier Doug Ford argues this is essential to invigorate Ontario's economy amidst external trade pressures, particularly from U.S. tariffs. Although he emphasizes there will be no exemptions from labor laws like minimum wage, critics express concerns over the legislation's vague language, allowing for legislative loopholes. The law also includes changes to the Mining Act to accelerate project approvals, aiming to shorten timelines from four years to two for mining operations.
"I just want to speed up the process," he said during a news conference on Thursday, moments after Bill 5 received Royal Assent, making it law. Ford then talked of how long it takes for a mine to get into production, an issue that is actually tackled in a different part of Bill 5: revisions to the Mining Act designed to shorten Ontario's approval process to two years from the current four years.
Ford's officials insist the government won't exempt any company in a special economic zone from Ontario's minimum wage rules or other labour laws. But the wide-open way the legislation is written would allow cabinet to hand out exemptions from any law, whether labour, environmental or operational.
Collection
[
|
...
]