Canada

The Doug Ford government just passed Bill 60, the Fighting delays, Building Faster Act, 2025, a gigantic omnibus bill, a bill that gives corporate landlords more power to evict tenants.

Rammed through with no public consultation and no legislative transparency. There are some very troubling parts of this bill, the taking over Exhibition Place for one and that is just one of the hidden issues in Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s Omnibus bill, that will benefit private corporations.

People will be very alarmed to hear that hidden in omnibus Bill 60 is a new law called the Water and Waste Water Public Corporations Act. This legislation will enable the privatization of water. In a time of the affordability crisis, this Bill will allow private corporations the control to raise water rates to maximize profits. Will public safety be a concern when profits are involved?

This Conservative government has not learned the lessons from Walkerton, where in 1996, after water testing was privatized, at least seven people died. More than 2,300 became very sick, many were hospitalized and many had to go on dialysis, for the rest of their lives. Worse, Ford has already passed Bill 56 which removed local autonomy from local water systems and gave the minister in charge the power to make changes without any public input or oversight.