City of Brantford Council unanimously voted in favour of requesting the provincial government to repeal Bill 5 during its Committee of the Whole, Planning and Administration meeting on Tuesday, August 12, 2025.
The provincial government first introduced Bill 5, “Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025,” back on April 17, 2025, and Bill 17, “Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act, 2025,” on May 12, 2025.
While the two bills both received Royal Assent in June, additional actions are still required to fully implement legislative changes, such as an Order by the Lieutenant Governor in Council or the release of associated regulations.
“Together, these Acts amend multiple existing statutes and introduce new legislative frameworks intended to support provincial priorities related to economic development, housing supply, and infrastructure delivery,” read the report from City staff.
Bill 5 looks to change or replace legislation in areas like energy procurement, land development, environmental assessment and archaeology, and species protection.
As well, it would introduce and allow the provincial government to designate specific areas as Special Economic Zones (SEZs), essentially permitting the province to identify areas and projects of “critical or strategic importance” and allowing such areas to benefit from streamlined permitting processes while limiting a municipality’s ability to legally challenge decisions made in the SEZ.
During the meeting, several delegates including Lily Cottrell-Kan, Erica Walker, Rod Philpot, Karleigh Csordas and Ron Fox, the Green Party and Liberal candidates in the last provincial election, all spoke against Bill 5 and called for its repeal.
“Bill 5 certainly conveys a sense of urgency and ambition. However, if adopted uncritically, it risks further eroding public trust in our institutions, including this council. The Association of Municipalities of Ontario [AMO] have already voiced serious concerns, warning that Bill 5 changes could undermine local decision making authority,” said Philpot. “For example, Bill 5 centralizes certain approvals in a way that ignores local context. It limits the municipality’s ability to adapt provincial policies to specific local needs. The one that possibly bothers me the most, is it reduces the scope, frequency, or even the necessity of public consultations. Now we’re all well aware of how public trust can fray when the public feels excluded from public land works such as would be affected by this bill.”
Another Brantford resident, Darryl Casey, said that Bill 5 is “a dangerous shift of power away from citizens and local governments towards a small group of cabinet ministers who can make and unmake the rules without our consent.”
“Bill 5 and Bill 17 are anti-democratic. They silence communities, and they remove the cheques and balances that should be in place in any municipal government. But this just isn’t about one project, this is about whether our voices matter in shaping the city we live in. It’s about whether local Councils will still have the authority to stand up for the residents when a development threatens their community’s well being,” said Casey. “…Development does not have to come at the cost of democracy. We can and should pursue growth in ways that are transparent, accountable and fully informed to the public. That means maintaining the right for citizens to question, challenge and improve major projects.”
Following the delegations, Councillors had the opportunity to also speak to the item, many of them also touching on the importance of maintaining the local democratic process.
“I know that there needs to be some serious economic development coming forth, and I’m on board with that,” said Councillor Brian Van Tilborg. “I know that there are pressures coming from the country south of us, making it more difficult, so I want to help the Ford government, but I’m not prepared in any way to advocate my responsibility as a councillor.”
Councillor Richard Carpenter said the two bills essentially undermine the democratic process, and that while yes, democracy can often be messy and takes time, it’s necessary.
“You have to talk to people, you have to have different points of views, you have to share ideas and you have to talk about why something is, or isn’t good,” he said. “You have to have that kind of communication.”
Although Councillor Dan McCreary said he would be supporting Councillor Mandy Samwell’s amendment to call for the repeal of Bill 5, he said that the two bills have already received royal assent, and that all City Council can do is send a letter of discontent.
With that in mind, McCreary said because municipalities don’t have any sway in the matter, residents across Ontario and within Brantford-Brant, should be calling their MPPs and expressing their concerns to them.
In the end, councillors unanimously supported Mandy Samwell’s amendment to the item, which included:
- Endorsing AMO’s request that the province include municipalities in the development of the regulatory framework to implement SEZs.
- Opposing the provisions contained in Bill 5 that would reduce the environmental protections, override municipal planning authority, or prevent good faith consultation with indigenous communities;
- Encouraging the Province to support responsible housing and infrastructure growth through environmentally sound policies, local planning tools, and projects that protect sensitive wildlife and natural resources
- Requesting that Bill 5, “Protecting Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, 2025” be repealed and consultation with municipal organizations such as the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and the Rural Ontario Municipal Association be prioritized for the creation of legislation that would accomplish shared goals between both levels of government as equal partners
“This isn’t about slowing growth or blocking progress,” said Samwell. “This ensures growth is smart, sustainable and respectful. We all want a thriving economy, but not at the cost of our environment, our planning authority or our relationships with our Indigenous communities. By passing this amendment tonight, we send a clear message to the province, work with us, not around us.”
The item, as amended, was approved and will come back to Council for final approval on Tuesday, August 26, 2025.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
