Critics slam Ontario for proposal to create zones where projects are exempt from laws
Critics say it's a power grab designed to ensure projects like Premier Doug Ford's proposed tunnel under Highway 401 and mining critical minerals in northern Ontario get done with little resistance.
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Several First Nation leaders from the Ring of Fire region visited Queen's Park Monday and said they have yet to be consulted on the bill, despite pledges from the province it would fulfil its duty to consult.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association says the bill is alarming and such power should only be used in emergency situations such as a pandemic, not on mining and construction projects.
Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce says the province has broad support to move forward quickly on its plans to become an energy superpower by mining northern Ontario.
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The bill passed second reading Tuesday and was sent to committee to be studied further.
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Ontario auditor general has ‘active audits' on special ed, child care: internal docs
Ontario's auditor general appears to be conducting investigations into special education and child care, according to internal government documents, potentially offering fresh insight into how the province funds and handles the two key files. The information is contained within a briefing document prepared for Education Minister Paul Calandra in March and obtained by Global News using freedom of information laws, which says there are 'active audits' underway on both topics. An auditor general investigation into the Ford government's Greenbelt land swap, published in 2023, turned the controversy into a scandal, while reports into Ontario Place, the Ontario Science Centre and emergency room staffing left ministers with difficult questions to answer. It is unclear when the potential special education and child care audits were started or when exactly they'll be published. The auditor general has far-reaching power under Ontario legislation to compel government documents and dig deep into various files. Story continues below advertisement None of the Ministry of Education, Premier's Office or the auditor general's office would confirm the probes to Global News. 'We have not yet disclosed any of the audits we're working on this year,' a spokesperson for the auditor general's office said, adding they couldn't 'comment on speculation.' View image in full screen A page of briefing notes for Education Minister Paul Calandra says audits are underway on special education and child care. Global News Critics of the government welcomed the possibility of auditor general investigations into both child care and special education, with the latter an area of particular concern for some. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Educators and parents have suggested that a lack of support for children with special education needs in Ontario's schools has been harming their education and making classrooms less effective for everyone. A report by the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario earlier this year said that English public school boards in the province have, on average, one educational assistant for every 10 children with special education needs. Story continues below advertisement Kate Dudley-Logue from the Ontario Autism Coalition told Global News that an audit of how special education programs are funded and managed is long overdue. 'Delivery of special education in schools is at a crisis level — children are not safe, children are not accessing a meaningful level of education, they're not accessing curriculum, and the most telling factor is so many children with disabilities are just not in school at all,' she said. Dudley said she was concerned about funding, as well as what she sees as a patchwork approach to special education, which can differ from one board to another. A survey conducted by the Ontario Autism Coalition of parents found that almost 20 per cent of the children of those polled were not in school full-time, instead relying on modified schedules. 'This is a very large issue,' she said. 'Students with disabilities have a right to be in school.' The internal briefing documents also suggest the auditor general will be looking into child care, an area where the government has made major changes to attempt to implement a federal vision for $10-per-day care. Ontario was the last province to sign onto a child-care deal with former prime minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government in March 2022. The agreement was worth $13.2 billion, the two governments said at the time. Story continues below advertisement Operators have since raised concerns about how the deal impacts their bottom line and the viability of small businesses, with some operators shutting down and saying the system isn't viable. In the spring, Calandra wrote to his federal counterpart asking for a renewed commitment to the $10 plan, suggesting prices could rise above $22 per day without a fresh commitment from Ottawa. Ontario NDP MPP Teresa Armstrong said she would look forward to any audit of the child care file, one that she said she felt the government had attempted to make positive changes in without success. 'I think the government is trying to do the best they can, but I think an auditor general report will open up some of the issues where they need to act on that people have been saying that hasn't been happening,' she said. 'We've had a lot of auditor general reports, and they make excellent recommendations, quite frankly.' The Ministry of Education said it could not answer questions about the possible audits. 'As always, the ministry would cooperate with any and all requests from the Auditor and her team,' a spokesperson said. — with files from The Canadian Press
National Observer
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Ford government proposes new powers to control who gets electricity access
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The province says the changes are necessary to manage soaring demand from hyperscale data centres — massive digital infrastructure hubs that power artificial intelligence, cloud computing and data storage. Lecce said more than 6,500 megawatts of data centre connection requests are already in the queue — about 30 per cent of Ontario's current peak electricity load. Ontario is already home to more than 100 data centres. Canada ranks in the global top 10 data centre markets, and spending on servers here is expected to grow 66 per cent by 2029. Worldwide, the industry is booming, with construction expected to reach $49 billion by 2030. Critics argue the legislation opens the door to backroom deals and political influence over energy access. 'It creates a dynamic where companies go directly to elected officials or their staff to negotiate deals, rather than going through an independent and transparent process,' said Keith Brooks, programs director at Environmental Defence. 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