North Grenville Council is raising concerns over a controversial bill just passed at Queen’s Park.
At their regular meeting this week, council passed a motion opposing Bill 5 which they say brings substantial changes to environmental planning policies and enables the creation of Special Economic Zones which may override local planning authority and environmental oversight.
The bill has also sparked protests across Ontario including by First Nations members and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario.
The legislation enables the government to deem areas to have economic importance and suspend provincial and municipal laws in the designated zones including some for endangered species.
The Ford government says the bill is designed to speed up the building of large projects.
North Grenville Council says in the motion that they support increasing housing supply and economic growth but add that it must be done in a way that upholds environmental responsibility and maintains the integrity of local planning processes.
They are asking that the government not use the Special Economic Zones to exempt projects from bylaws that impact revenue.
The motion will now be sent to all municipalities in Ontario and officials including Premier Doug Ford.
