Bill 5 would roll back environmental oversight for TC Energy’s proposed pumped storage project.
Doug Ford’s proposed Bill 5 is a direct threat to Ontario’s environment and the safeguards we rely on to protect our water, farmland, wildlife, and communities. While framed as a strategy for "economic growth," this bill is a dangerous rollback of environmental protections that could allow large-scale developments like TC Energy’s open-loop pumped storage project to proceed without proper oversight.
This specific project is proposed for a vulnerable area of the Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, and would draw precious water from Georgian Bay and return the potentially contaminated water to the Bay. If Bill 5 passes, this and other developments could move forward with minimal scrutiny, endangering our fragile ecosystems.
Bill 5 would gut protections for Ontario’s Endangered species.
Bill 5 would remove Endangered Species Act protections, allowing these plants and animals to be left vulnerable and without the protections they need to survive. Over 230 species are at risk in the province, with at least 36 in the area TC Energy proposes to decimate. Among these, at least nine species are Endangered, including: Tri-colored Bat, Northern Myotis, Little Brown Myotis, Cerulean Warbler, Henslow’s Sparrow, Loggerhead Shrike (migrants), Red-headed Woodpecker, Monarch Butterfly, and Butternut Tree.
No protections. No accountability. No way.
In February 2023 and March 2024, Meaford, Owen Sound, and Grey County passed resolutions supporting TC Energy’s pumped storage project—but only on the condition that it undergoes a thorough environmental impact assessment (EIA) to protect the local ecosystems and public health.
Unfortunately, the process isn’t working. The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) has admitted that its scope is narrow and does not adequately address concerns like local wildlife, water contamination, or public health impacts from construction (e.g., dust, noise, CO2 emissions).
To make matters worse, in March 2025, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a policy allowing projects like this to bypass federal approval entirely and proceed with only provincial oversight. This would leave the Ford government solely responsible for protecting our environment. Given Ford’s history of undermining environmental protections, this is a dangerous step backward.
Now, Bill 5 could strip away the last of our environmental protections, endangering ecosystems, communities, and our future by allowing projects like TC Energy’s pumped storage to proceed without proper oversight. This puts our drinking water, wildlife, and landscapes at risk.
It’s time to act.
Bill 5 puts profits over protection—greenlighting destructive projects like TC Energy’s open-loop pumped storage scheme in Meaford.
Raise your voice in defense of Ontario’s environment. Tell your local MPP, council, and Premier Doug Ford: The conditions of support from Meaford, Owen Sound, and Grey County for TC Energy’s project can no longer be met and must be revoked. Bill 5 is a direct threat to Ontario’s future and must be stopped. TC Energy’s project would destroy the Niagara Escarpment and Georgian Bay’s delicate ecosystems and must be halted.
We can not afford to let this happen. Together, we can protect our communities, our health, and our environment. Take action now by sending a letter or calling your representative. Every voice matters.
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