City of Guelph opposes provisions in Bill 5, particularly under Schedules 2 and 9, and provisions in Bill17…

3:05:08and just to allow Councillor Caron

3:05:12to kind of speak to the item.

3:05:13I know that the motions are gonna be passed

3:05:16or tabled by Councillor Caron and tabled by,

3:05:19seconded by Councillor Goller.

3:05:22So with that, like, you know,

3:05:23before the delegates come up,

3:05:25you can go ahead and explain what you are trying to table.

3:05:28You have the floor.

3:05:30I don't wanna take too much time,

3:05:32we'll let the delegation speak,

3:05:33but as everyone knows last week,

3:05:35Bill 5 and Bill 17 passed quickly on the last day

3:05:39before recessing for the summer recess of the legislature.

3:05:44Both Bill 5 and 17 remove what I consider

3:05:49to be significant protections that protect human health,

3:05:52Indigenous rights, labor laws, democratic principles.

3:05:57I'll speak a little bit more to it

3:05:58when I actually table the resolution,

3:06:01but I do feel that the city,

3:06:03often when we bring,

3:06:05when we pull items from the information reports

3:06:08or when we bring in motions of support

3:06:10or motions to send messages to the province,

3:06:14they tend to be larger global issues.

3:06:16This one really hits home

3:06:19because it is removing local bylaws,

3:06:22local planning authority.

3:06:25Our MPP, Mike Schreiner,

3:06:27when he rose on the floor last week,

3:06:28called it one of the worst pieces of legislation

3:06:31that he's seen coming out of Queens Park

3:06:34in the province of Ontario during his time in office.

3:06:37I agree with that assessment.

3:06:39And I think we have an obligation to reflect

3:06:42our community and our city in responding to those bills.

3:06:49And I'll send it over to delegations

3:06:51and then I'll put the motion on the floor afterwards

3:06:53with some more commentary.

3:06:54Okay, thank you so much.

3:06:55And yes, we have two.

3:06:57Rachel Vier from the Water Watchers is here,

3:06:59then Evan Ferrari from Emerge,

3:07:01Guelph Sustainability is here.

3:07:03So Rachel, if you wanna come on down,

3:07:05and again, it's no more than five minutes

3:07:07and I think you might know the drill.

3:07:08You'll hear the chime at four minutes and 30 seconds,

3:07:11but go ahead and have the timer.

3:07:12We'll start when you start.

3:07:18Good evening, Mayor and good evening, Council.

3:07:21Thank you for allowing me to delegate today.

3:07:23My name is Rachel Vier.

3:07:24I work for Water Watchers Environmental NGO

3:07:27that works on the front lines of water protection

3:07:29who believe water is for life and not profit

3:07:31and have made it our mission to empower people

3:07:34and communities to work in solidarity towards social justice

3:07:38through a unifying lens of water.

3:07:41I'm here today to aid in fulfilling our mission and mandate.

3:07:44Bill five or protect Ontario by unleashing the Economy Act

3:07:48is a direct threat to democratic process

3:07:50and indigenous treaty rights,

3:07:51while simultaneously stripping Ontario

3:07:54of environmental regulations and protections.

3:07:57This past week has been absolutely heartbreaking

3:07:59for indigenous communities across Ontario,

3:08:01especially First Nation communities in Northern Ontario,

3:08:04who have been evacuated from their land and their homes.

3:08:07At the same time, hundreds of indigenous peoples

3:08:10from all across Ontario gather peacefully to protest

3:08:12against Bill five outside of Queens Park,

3:08:15only to have the bill pass.

3:08:17As we step into National Indigenous History Month,

3:08:19we continue to ignore the very people we're asking to speak up

3:08:23and share their stories.

3:08:24What we are witnessing right now will be the history

3:08:27that is told one day,

3:08:28and I hope you choose to be on the right side of it.

3:08:31So what is at stake with the passing of Bill five?

3:08:35Bill five seeks to employ special economic zones.

3:08:37What the government is proposing is to have

3:08:39certain development projects be exempt

3:08:41from municipal, provincial or federal laws

3:08:43for streamlining purposes.

3:08:45Essentially, the developers would not have to follow

3:08:48any law guideline or restriction

3:08:49due to environmental or community concerns.

3:08:53Premier Ford has already listed some of the projects

3:08:55that would be included in these zones

3:08:57and included as a ring of fire,

3:08:59a proposed massive mining pit in Northern Ontario

3:09:01that borders on many First Nation communities

3:09:03and directly impacts several endangered species

3:09:05such as the woodland caribou and bald eagle.

3:09:09Several First Nation communities, leaders and chiefs

3:09:11have spoken out against Bill five

3:09:13in the serious threat it poses to indigenous treaty rights

3:09:16and the principle of free, prior and informed consent.

3:09:20Every aspect of this bill undermines indigenous treaties,

3:09:23rights and culture.

3:09:24At its core, Bill five exists to accelerate the extraction

3:09:26of natural resources from Northern Ontario territory

3:09:29that is home and stewarded by First Nations communities.

3:09:32This extractive agenda puts the land, the waters,

3:09:35the species and these sacred sites.

3:09:37These communities rely on and protect at grave risk,

3:09:42all without consequence.

3:09:44A few weeks ago on May 26th, the chiefs,

3:09:46Spontario gathered at Queens Park

3:09:48to voice their opposition to Ford's,

3:09:51to the Ford government's omnibus, omnibus Bill five,

3:09:54warning that it threatens inherent rights,

3:09:55treaty obligations, sovereignty.

3:09:57The government responded with weak amendments

3:09:59and shallow promises that consent

3:10:01would be considered in these zones.

3:10:03However, First Nation leaders were clear

3:10:04unless the bill is scrapped and rewritten,

3:10:06giving indigenous peoples a seat at the table,

3:10:08they would be idle no more.

3:10:09And with the passage of this bill on June 4th,

3:10:12the fight has just begun.

3:10:14I want to remind council that upholding treaty responsibilities

3:10:17is on all of us as treaty people.

3:10:22And while I am talking about special economic zones

3:10:24that will impact indigenous communities in proximity

3:10:27to coveted materials or other resources, let's be clear.

3:10:30The attack on democracy proposed in this bill

3:10:33will affect us all.

3:10:34The community of Guelph has important protections in place

3:10:36that have taken decades of advocacy to bring in place.

3:10:39Regulations and policies that will safeguard

3:10:42treasured natural heritage here in Guelph

3:10:43that ensure that we have adequate recharge areas

3:10:46and green space for a collective well-being.

3:10:49The power of this bill could have Queen's Park

3:10:52overriding all of your interests as well.

3:10:53As of right now, these zones could be anywhere

3:10:55and we would be powerless to stand against them.

3:10:59We used to rely on protective democratic practices

3:11:01and legislation such as Environmental Species Act,

3:11:04but with Bill 5, this has gone too.

3:11:06Now developers need only register their habitat destruction

3:11:09prior to doing it, then proceed with no repercussions.

3:11:13As I stand here safely in Guelph,

3:11:16far from devastating fires tearing through indigenous lands

3:11:19and communities in the North, I feel compelled to speak up.

3:11:22These fires are not just a natural disaster,

3:11:25they are a reminder of what's at stake.

3:11:26First Nations communities are consistently

3:11:28on the front lines of land defense, protecting what remains.

3:11:32This indigenous history month,

3:11:33I urge you take one meaningful step towards reconciliation

3:11:36and say no to Bill 5 and let's stop further extraction

3:11:39and honor indigenous stewardship of this land.

3:11:43Thank you, Rachel.

3:11:45We appreciate your delegation.

3:11:47Let me check if there's a follow up for you.

3:11:49There isn't, but thank you very much for waiting around.

3:11:53We appreciate it.

3:11:55Okay, and Evan, come on down.

3:12:02And you know the drill, Evan,

3:12:03we just, the timer will start when you're ready, okay?

3:12:06Great, thank you, Mr. Mayor.

3:12:10I have to say that Rachel did a wonderful job

3:12:14of outlining all of the issues

3:12:15that are related to First Nations.

3:12:18I'll be quite brief tonight.

3:12:21Unfortunately, the province passed

3:12:22a number of regressive bills last week,

3:12:25among them Bill 5, but also Bill 17,

3:12:29that isn't in the council agenda.

3:12:31And that both of these would throw out protections

3:12:35of our environment, indigenous rights, civil liberties,

3:12:37and municipal authority in a number of different areas.

3:12:40Queen's part needs to hear a very loud no

3:12:46from the city of Guelph

3:12:47to these oppressive and heavy handed bills.

3:12:50Thankfully, you're considering a motion

3:12:52that clearly states what I hope will be

3:12:55that very loud no to the bills.

3:12:58Simply stated, the province needs

3:13:00to obey existing laws, not throw them out.

3:13:05The city's indigenous statement of acknowledgement

3:13:08alone provides enough reason

3:13:10for the city of Guelph to oppose these bills.

3:13:13Quoting part of it here, it reads,

3:13:15if our actions today can move us towards reconciliation,

3:13:20we should take pause and make those decisions

3:13:22with intention and gratitude.

3:13:25But of course, there's much more.

3:13:27Interestingly enough, at the last council meeting,

3:13:30you passed a motion that would help us plan better

3:13:32to create green development standards in our city,

3:13:35in our work to reach our climate goals

3:13:38through something called a step code.

3:13:40These types of standards have been implemented

3:13:42by numerous municipalities across the province.

3:13:45Now the premier is attempting to prevent municipalities

3:13:48from doing just that, something that you've just brought in.

3:13:52Emerge is pleased with the direction of this motion.

3:13:54And by adding mention of Bill 17, it will be even stronger.

3:13:59I look forward to seeing a unanimous support no

3:14:03from Guelph City Council towards these provincial bills.

3:14:07Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

3:14:08Thanks, Evan.

3:14:09Appreciate you waiting around too.

3:14:11So thank you.

3:14:12Any follow up for Evan?

3:14:15No, thank you very much.

3:14:18Back to the mover and thank you to the seconder,

3:14:21Councillor Goller, but over to you.

3:14:24And if you could just kind of table it and then we can get going.

3:14:27But you have the floor.

3:14:28Yeah, I'll do.

3:14:29I don't have a whole bunch of where as statements.

3:14:31So it's just kind of my opening commentary.

3:14:34And it is a little bit the motion that's

3:14:36going to go on the floor.

3:14:37And the clerks will put it on the screen when it's read.

3:14:40It's a little different than the one that

3:14:42was printed in the council agenda.

3:14:45And I appreciate the input of various stakeholders,

3:14:49including Councillor Goller, and adding some additional edits.

3:14:52And Mayor Guthrie, you had an edit as well.

3:14:55So thank you for that.

3:14:57Everyone in this horseshoe wants more housing.

3:15:01We want increased economic growth in our city

3:15:03and in our province.

3:15:05But we're asking ourselves tonight at what cost.

3:15:08It's our role to make informed decisions that

3:15:11will stand the test of time.

3:15:13Our role is city building.

3:15:14Our role is to protect citizens from adverse impacts

3:15:19of bad planning decisions.

3:15:21And are we willing to break the laws of the province of Ontario

3:15:25for a fast buck?

3:15:28We don't have any evidence how housing will be built faster.

3:15:31Are we going to abandon our treaty obligations

3:15:34with our indigenous partners?

3:15:36Are we going to sacrifice endangered species and conservation

3:15:39practices, ignore air and water and ground pollution,

3:15:43override municipal land use planning authority,

3:15:46abolish public consultation, ignore laws designed

3:15:49to protect human health and safety, our labor laws?

3:15:53Bill 5 and 17 were passed so quickly,

3:15:55cutting off debate on the last day

3:15:58before recessing for the summer recess.

3:16:02If special economic zones require us

3:16:05to abandon the rule of law, then we

3:16:08are abandoning the very principles

3:16:09and purpose of government.

3:16:11We create laws to protect our citizens and future generations

3:16:15from greed, from rich and powerful forces that

3:16:17hold themselves above the law.

3:16:20So who gets to decide who are these special economic zones?

3:16:24So-called trusted proponents, the Premier and his ministers

3:16:28get to decide who those trusted proponents are.

3:16:31Do any of these trusted proponents

3:16:33own land on or near the green belt?

3:16:36Because it isn't just the ring of fire.

3:16:39It's any special economic zone.

3:16:40And it could come closer to home.

3:16:42It could come to the green belt.

3:16:43It could come to our own GID lands.

3:16:47And I think one of the most egregious parts of the provisions

3:16:53in the bill are those that exempt the province from lawsuits

3:16:56under certain sections under this bill.

3:16:58So they can break the law, cause adverse impact,

3:17:01and then it immunize himself from being

3:17:04held accountable for that.

3:17:06I think Bill 17 is equally concerning.

3:17:10And I've also added Bill 17 to the draft motion.

3:17:13It removes many of the aspects of land use planning authority

3:17:16away from the municipal level of government.

3:17:18It makes it impossible for us to do the work necessary

3:17:21to reduce the impact of climate change

3:17:24by creating green development standards

3:17:26to help us reach our 2050 net zero goals.

3:17:30And for developments that will impact neighboring properties

3:17:34with noise and storm water and wind,

3:17:36all of those impact studies are no longer required

3:17:39under Bill 17.

3:17:39So our planning staff have no ability

3:17:41to mitigate or require conditions that

3:17:44would prevent negative impacts.

3:17:47In short, Bill 5 is designed to advance profit over people.

3:17:52And as we've seen with Bill 23 and Bill 124

3:17:55in the last term of this government,

3:17:57they're not going to be effective in building more housing

3:18:00because Ontario has the second slowest housing

3:18:03starts in the country after all of these bills were

3:18:07passed designed to promote more housing.

3:18:10We're just not getting that.

3:18:12So in summary, these bills combined

3:18:15are yet another nail in the coffin of good governance.

3:18:17Any government that passes a bill to exempt itself

3:18:20from its own laws is not a government.

3:18:23It is tyranny.

3:18:24And this motion can be simplified in one sentence.

3:18:28And I give credit to Ann Moore, who

3:18:31was at a rally a few weeks ago opposing Bill 5 for these words.

3:18:35Premier Ford, obey your own laws.

3:18:39So I'm hopeful tonight that my council colleagues will

3:18:41join me in sending a message to the Premier

3:18:43that the citizens of Guelph strongly

3:18:45object to Bill 5 and Bill 17.

3:18:47And we're ready to put those motions on the screen.

3:18:51Do you want me to read them, Mr. Mayor,

3:18:53or processability?

3:18:55Yeah, sure.

3:18:56I'm sure to not.

3:18:57Go ahead.

3:18:58And then I'll go to Councillor Goller,

3:18:59but go ahead and read them.

3:19:00OK, that the city of Guelph opposes provisions in Bill 5,

3:19:03particularly under schedules 2 and 9,

3:19:05and provisions in Bill 17 that would diminish

3:19:07environmental protections and override municipal planning

3:19:10authority, and that the city of Guelph

3:19:12call on the province of Ontario to obey their own rule of law

3:19:15to pursue housing, forestry, infrastructure,

3:19:18and critical mineral development through policies that

3:19:20follow sound environmental planning principles,

3:19:23uphold the planning authority of local government,

3:19:25respect indigenous treaty obligations,

3:19:28and protect vital ecological systems,

3:19:30and that the city of Guelph endorses the city's submission

3:19:33regarding Bill 5 to the Environmental Rights

3:19:36of Ontario 0250391 Special Economic Zones Act 2025,

3:19:40and ERO 0250380 Species Conservation Act,

3:19:44and as posted in the information items on May 23.

3:19:48And then the fourth clause is just

3:19:50that this resolution be forward to a number of agencies

3:19:53and individuals as listed.

3:19:55Great.

3:19:56Thank you very much.

3:19:58And comment to Councillor Gore.

3:20:02Thank you through your worship.

3:20:03Thank you to Councillor Kerron for bringing this forward.

3:20:07Also, I wanted to take a moment to think.

3:20:09I was just looking at reply to 160 emails

3:20:12over the last couple of weeks calling on this.

3:20:15And I wanted to thank the folks that are here,

3:20:18Indigo and Abigail and Morgan, and particularly

3:20:21Evan for his input in some of the things

3:20:23that helped us craft this motion.

3:20:27There's a lot of people in Guelph

3:20:29that feel very strongly about this.

3:20:31So I hope we can pass this unanimously tonight.

3:20:33Thank you, worship.

3:20:35Thank you, Councillor.

3:20:36All to please.

3:20:37Thank you very much, Mayor Guthrie.

3:20:39I too will be supporting this.

3:20:41I've done a fair bit of work looking at this.

3:20:44And one of the things that came up for me

3:20:46is that there's an economic argument for supporting this.

3:20:50My colleague, Councillor Gibson, often says

3:20:52that there's only one taxpayer and he's quite correct.

3:20:55But there are three levels of government.

3:20:57And these particular bills coming

3:20:58from the provincial government are going to cost us money.

3:21:01And they're going to cost us money

3:21:03in a number of different ways.

3:21:04First of all, just consider the issue of indigenous rights.

3:21:07The indigenous rights issue will certainly

3:21:09lead to court challenges.

3:21:10And that will clearly cost us money.

3:21:13It is not just a notwithstanding clause.

3:21:15It is the work that goes into a notwithstanding clause

3:21:19and the legal challenges that the government will

3:21:21be required to consider.

3:21:23I'm also very, very worried that this will also

3:21:25lead to significant civil disobedience.

3:21:28And we've seen what's happened south of the border

3:21:30in Los Angeles just recently, where suddenly civil disobedience

3:21:33has become met with significant challenges that

3:21:38are in themselves violent.

3:21:40Again, another cost to us.

3:21:41But the most important thing that I talked to Mike Shreiner

3:21:45about was that actually by diminishing

3:21:49municipal planning authority, the provincial government

3:21:51is actually potentially putting in another level

3:21:54of bureaucracy, which is a provincial planning authority

3:21:58to take the place of municipal planning authorities.

3:22:02So as I said, Councillor Gibson is quite correct.

3:22:05There is just one taxpayer.

3:22:06But this is going to cost a lot of money.

3:22:09And as a consequence of that, not only

3:22:11do we have the moral and the ethical imperatives

3:22:15to consider that this must be stopped,

3:22:17we have a pocketbook challenge ahead of us.

3:22:23Thank you.

3:22:24Is there anything further before I can call the vote?

3:22:26Councillor Caton, please.

3:22:30Thank you.

3:22:31Through you, Mr. Mayor, I just wanted

3:22:32to echo all the other councillor's statements.

3:22:35I think that this is a really important motion to support.

3:22:39And I'm glad that we've added on Bill 17.

3:22:43Bill 6 is also a nightmare, but for a different reason,

3:22:46related to environment.

3:22:48But I think that it's really important for us

3:22:51to speak up when bills like this are

3:22:54broached by the government, because we need to stand united

3:23:01to support the laws that we have in place

3:23:03and make sure that we are not harming our indigenous neighbors

3:23:07and the environment.

3:23:09Thanks.

3:23:13Thank you.

3:23:13Is there anything further?

3:23:16OK, I'll just have quick comments from me.

3:23:19So thank you for Councillor Caron, Guller, and others

3:23:21that have brought this forward.

3:23:23One of the tenets of what I appreciate about AMO,

3:23:27which is the Association of Municipalities of Ontario,

3:23:30is the position of overriding the local governance,

3:23:34overriding the local government.

3:23:37And that is one of the key first things

3:23:39that I always get my get a little bit.

3:23:45There's some friction on that, let's say it that way.

3:23:48And so I think that the, especially under both bills,

3:23:53really, that there was an intent of trying

3:23:57to react to the states and to economic opportunities.

3:24:01And I think the thing that we acknowledge is that,

3:24:06I think we all want to try to do that.

3:24:08But it's the how.

3:24:10It's the how it gets done.

3:24:11And I think it's already been stated,

3:24:13so I'll say ditto to those things.

3:24:16There are, for me, though, I just

3:24:18want to say there are some provisions.

3:24:19And that's why I thank you for just adding the word provisions

3:24:23in there to Bill 17 specifically.

3:24:28There are some provisions in Bill 17 that I actually do support.

3:24:32I think there are some things that are OK.

3:24:35And I think the intent of some of it there was good.

3:24:39In fact, part of AMO's positioning

3:24:42was actually working with the government around Bill 17.

3:24:45And they came out quite in favor with a lot of it,

3:24:48but with some of the hesitations on some of the other issues, too.

3:24:51But I can definitely support this.

3:24:53And so I want to say thank you for that.

3:24:57And I think where I would encourage, I guess,

3:25:05the government is about relationships.

3:25:08And getting things, I think, settled relationship-wise

3:25:13prior to doing a vote on a bill is usually the sequencing

3:25:17that I think is something that should have taken place here.

3:25:21So now they've passed a bill, and now they're

3:25:24going to try to create or fix or repair relationships.

3:25:28And I just think that's going to be a longer road,

3:25:30a longer journey for them.

3:25:33So anyways, I do want to just say thank you.

3:25:37And there was actually, it was interesting, Councillor Caron,

3:25:41there was a poll today that came out.

3:25:43Did you see it?

3:25:44There was a poll today that came out from across Ontario,

3:25:46like from a ledger poll or something.

3:25:49I forget who did it, but like a legitimate polling company.

3:25:51And it's interesting.

3:25:53It's split right down the middle of people that are supportive

3:25:57and people that are not.

3:25:58Literally, I think it's like 44 and 41 or something like that.

3:26:01Then 13% just didn't know what was going on.

3:26:04So it's definitely a bill, especially Bill 5,

3:26:11that is very much known to people.

3:26:14So I know that we've had a lot of some commentary that's

3:26:18come in to us, and I've definitely talked to people.

3:26:22In fact, I see, I'm so sorry, I forget your name.

3:26:24Is it Indigo?

3:26:26Yeah, hello.

3:26:27We talked about this with your club at school,

3:26:30and I encouraged you to speak up about it.

3:26:33So here you are.

3:26:34So thank you very much.

3:26:36And so with that, I think I'll just

3:26:40call the vote on those things.

3:26:42And not a big deal, but in the future, just try to.

3:26:46I don't want to stay here longer.

3:26:47But in the future, you can always

3:26:49add Ontario Big City Mayor's Caucus as one of the things

3:26:52there too, because then I can kind of take it to them.

3:26:55I'll take it to them anyways, so you don't have to put it on.

3:26:58It's OK.

3:26:59I'll take it anyways.

3:27:00But in the future, just throw that on there as well.

3:27:04All right, I'll call the vote then.

3:27:06Is anyone against?

3:27:09No?

3:27:09OK, thank you very much.

3:27:10I'll get ready to sign that.

3:27:13And now just let me confer with the clerks for a second.

3:27:22Thank you.

3:27:22Claussen, over to you to name out the recommended bylaws

3:27:28for us tonight, please.

3:27:29By the way, I just want to state verbally,

3:27:32Councillor Gibson did leave for that discussion

3:27:36because he declared a conflict of interest.

3:27:38So he was not part of that debate, did not vote.

3:27:40He wasn't even a part of the meeting at all.

3:27:43I just want to make sure that's caught on the record

3:27:45that people don't think he left for any other reason.

3:27:47It was because he declared the conflict

3:27:48at the beginning of the meeting.

3:27:50So Councillor Claussen, go ahead.

3:27:53Yes, thank you, Mayor Guthrie.

3:27:55That bylaws 2025, 2010, 79 through 2010, 81, 2025, 21093,

3:28:07through 2010, 97, 2025, 2010, 99, through 2011, 01.

3:28:14And 2025, 2011, 2103 be approved as amended subject