Bill 5 is a long-overdue effort

Editor:

Ontario’s economy stands at a crossroads. We can either continue allowing bureaucratic red tape, a fragmented approval process and a relatively small, but vocal group of NIMBYs to delay progress, or we can choose a smarter, faster, and more effective path forward.

That is precisely what Ontario Bill 5 Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, 2025 sets out to do, and why it deserves public support, not sensationalist misrepresentation by those who forget that they drive on roads and highways, live in homes with concrete, work in concrete buildings, worship on faith based buildings and need critical minerals that need to come out of the ground at a pace that will allow Ontario to grow and become a competitive province in Ontario, Canada and among the G7 countries

Recent articles and opinion pieces paint a grim picture of Bill 5, with headlines warning of “unfettered development” and catastrophic environmental collapse. But much of this opposition is rooted in ideology rather than evidence. The truth is that Bill 5 is a long-overdue effort to streamline regulatory processes, eliminate duplication, and unlock critical projects that will drive growth while maintaining strong environmental oversight.

The numbers speak for themselves. Ontario uses over 164 million tonnes of aggregate annually, contributing $1.6 billion to provincial GDP. Yet, it now takes up to 12 years to secure approvals for new or expanded aggregate sites due to overlapping reviews under

multiple ministries, municipalities, and agencies. This is unsustainable, especially during a housing and infrastructure crisis. It’s important to understand that Ontario’s aggregate industry is already one of the most heavily regulated sectors in the province. Over 25 pieces of legislation govern its operations, with strict oversight from environmental, water, and planning authorities. What Bill 5 proposes is not deregulation, but smarter regulation – a “One Project, One Process” approach that reduces unnecessary duplication while upholding environmental and Indigenous consultation requirements. Contrary to the fear-mongering from some critics, Bill 5 does not remove protections for endangered species, heritage, or the environment. Rather, it replaces outdated and often draft redundant processes with modernized legislation, such as the new Species Conservation Act, which includes built- in flexibility to manage risk responsibly. It also allows offsetting and recognizes existing compliance tools like Aggregate Resources Act (ARA) Site Plans as legally sufficient for species protection.

Moreover, by establishing Special Economic Zones and granting regulatory exemptions where they advance key provincial priorities—like housing, health care, and transit – Bill 5 ensures that delays caused by conflicting local politics don’t derail projects of strategic importance. For example, municipal delays rooted in “not-in-my-backyard” resistance have cost some aggregate projects up to $10 million in sunk costs with no guarantee of approval. It is important to remember we extract stone, sand and gravel from where they exist, we don’t have a choice of where to mine aggregates. Those opposing Bill 5 often fail to consider the real-world consequences of inaction: unaffordable housing, crumbling roads, delayed hospitals, and an economy that fails to attract investment. We cannot afford to let localized misinformation override province-wide priorities. Nor can we allow policy to be dictated by hyperbole or unfounded claims from municipalities and a minority of voices who equate any development with environmental destruction. Ontario is not gutting environmental safeguards – it’s building the framework to ensure they work better. By modernizing approvals and recognizing mineral aggregates as the essential resource they are, the province is saying: yes, we care about the environment, and yes, we need to build for the future.