Overview
- Ecojustice, representing Wildlands League, Environmental Defence, Friends of the Earth Canada and Democracy Watch, filed a constitutional lawsuit that seeks to overturn Ontario’s special economic zones provision in Bill 5.
- The suit argues the law lets cabinet and the environment minister set up zones where they can suspend provincial statutes and municipal bylaws, which the plaintiffs say is an unlawful transfer of the legislature’s law‑making power.
- Bill 5 was passed last year to speed approvals for projects like mines, and the government says the tool cuts red tape and keeps safeguards in place after consultations with Indigenous communities and other stakeholders.
- Premier Doug Ford has said he will designate Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport as a special economic zone to enable jet service, though the province has not said which laws would be set aside or issued related regulatory changes.
- The challenge lands alongside an ongoing case by nine First Nations targeting Bill 5 and federal Bill C‑5, protests over projects such as the Ring of Fire and the province’s earlier retreat from naming that region as its first special zone.