New Ontario bills gut environmental protections, eliminate green building bylaws

The Legislative Assembly of Ontario, from www.ola.org

Two recent bills introduced in the Ontario Legislature are poised to gut environmental protections, and severely curb the authority of municipal planners. Here’s a summary of the tabled bills 5 and 17, focused on areas of relevance to architects.

Bill 5: Repealing the Endangered Species Act, introducing regulation-free Special Economic Zones

The omnibus Bill 5, Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025, is ostensibly...