DONATE

As the representative for Chatham-Kent–Leamington and Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, Jones played a notable role in the passage of Ontario Bill 5. While Jones was not a sponsor or drafter of Bill 5, his role as Minister and senior PC caucus member meant he was a public proponent and key supporter of the bill within the government caucus and to the broader public.

Bill 5 affected controversial projects in the area, including the York1 Dresden landfill. Residents feel they are being betrayed by the government’s lack of safeguards, and over the summer they held a human chain protest to mark their anger.

MPP Rob Flack played the central leadership role in the establishment, introduction, and passage of Ontario’s Bill 5. As Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Flack was the chief architect and sponsor of the legislation, tabling it in May 2025 and guiding it through debate until enactment on June 5, 2025.

Bill 5 now blocks cities from establishing green standards that supersede the province’s building code. According to Flack, this will mean faster approvals and reduced costs. According to Brian Purcell, Vice President of Policy and Programs at the Atmospheric Fund, this is not the primary role of government:

“Municipalities have a legislated responsibility to protect public health and environmental wellbeing. Restricting their ability to exercise those duties will not protect Ontario or build housing faster. It will only reduce the quality of new housing and communities and expose Ontarian residents to greater environmental risks.”

Purcell emphasizes that the Ontario Building Code’s energy efficiency standards haven’t been updated since 2017 and that provincial moves like Bill 5 undermine cities’ ability to regulate development, leading to “higher emissions and less climate-resilient buildings”

mschreiner@ola.org

Tel.: 519-836-4190
or 416-325-4664
Full contact info

As the Deputy Leader of the Ontario Greens and the MPP for Kitchener Centre, Clancy was a principal debater at the bill’s third reading in the Legislative Assembly. She spoke out strongly against Bill 5, highlighting concerns about its sweeping powers, lack of legislative oversight, and threats to environmental protections, Indigenous rights, and labour standards, notably at public rallies alongside other opposition leaders, and participated in delaying tactics to slow the bill’s progress.

MPP Ernie Hardeman’s role in Bill 5 was primarily as a supporting member within the Progressive Conservative caucus and as a signatory advocate emphasizing municipal and rural economic concerns. He was not the bill’s author or sponsoring minister, but he endorsed its intent and implementation within legislative and municipal circles. representing rural stakeholder interests within the Progressive Conservative caucus and aiding communication between local governments and the Ministry of Economic Development.

The City of Woodstock, the location of Hardeman’s constituency office, sent a letter of protest to the premier on June 6, 2025, calling on the government to rescind Bill 5.

matthew.rae@pc.ola.org
Tel.: 519-272-0660
or 416-325-1084
Full contact info

MPP Matthew Rae played an institutional and supportive role in the passage of Ontario’s Bill 5, but he was not the bill’s sponsor or lead author. According to the Ontario Legislative Assembly records, Rae served as a member of the Standing Committee on the Interior, the parliamentary committee tasked with reviewing and amending the bill before it returned to the legislature for third reading and final adoption. This role placed him within the procedural and policy review process where government bills were examined in detail before being reported back to the House.

As a Progressive Conservative MPP and Chief Government Whip, Rae’s role also included coordinating government members’ votes and ensuring caucus discipline on major legislative initiatives like Bill 5. His position meant he was responsible for helping maintain party support for the bill’s passage once it reached the voting stages.

Rae is facing opposition from two Stratford environmental groups, Climate Momentum and the Perth County Sustainability Hub, who have joined forces for a Southwestern Ontario sign campaign. This website is the result of that collaboration, and you can participate by filling out the form at the bottom of this webpage.

MPP Bob Bailey was not the author or sponsor of Ontario Bill 5 but he played a supporting role as a government member who voted in favour of the legislation. Hansard records show that Bailey rose to speak during the third reading of Bill 5 on June  4 , 2025, endorsing the measure as part of the PC government’s economic agenda and supporting Doug  Ford’s initiative to fast‑track industrial and development projects in designated “Special Economic Zones”.  He had earlier defended the bill in April  2025 debate (Hansard, p. 58), stating it would “protect Ontario” by promoting investment and streamlining procedures.

Bailey voted in favour of Bill 5 alongside other government MPPs, including Trevor Jones of Chatham‑Kent–Leamington, despite criticism that the bill ended the environmental assessment for York1’s Dresden landfill project, and despite the fact that Lambton County opposed the legislation.  Although he was not present for one accelerated procedural vote on limiting debate time, he supported the legislation in its final passage.

Environmental and community organizations such as Climate Action Sarnia Lambton publicly urged residents to contact Bailey to oppose the bill’s environmental rollbacks, particularly the repeal of the Endangered Species Act and loss of oversight for regional projects. Local councils, including Plympton‑Wyoming, also copied correspondence to Bailey while calling for suspension of Bill 5’s enactment.

Catherine Fife
cfife-co@ndp.on.ca
Tel.: 519-725-3477
or 416-325-6913

Full contact info