Special economic zones: the secret weapon in Doug Ford’s Bill 5 [Video]

Premier Doug Ford’s justification for his controversial Bill 5 is to protect Ontario’s economy against the threats posed by U.S. President Donald Trump by reducing red tape and speeding up approvals of major projects. 

Ford campaigned vociferously on that theme this winter and it carried his Progressive Conservative Party to its third straight majority. 

However, Ford never said a word during the 29-day election campaign about the single most powerful thing in Bill 5: granting cabinet the authority to create “special economic zones.” 

The bill would enable cabinet to designate any location in Ontario as a special economic zone, and then to exempt any company or project in the zone from having to comply with whichever provincial laws, provincial regulations or municipal bylaws the government chooses.

It opens the door for cabinet to declare that such things as Ontario’s minimum wage rules, its environmental regulations, its tax laws or a city’s …