Politics · Canada · 3 hrs ago
Ontario’s Legislature Returns as Ford Government Moves to Ease Landfill Approvals
Ontario’s legislature returned after a 21-week break, giving opposition parties their first chance since June 2 to question Premier Doug Ford and his government.
Opposition members accused Ford of avoiding scrutiny and neglecting everyday people, while Ford defended his record and said he had held 500 meetings during the break.
His government introduced a bill aimed at cutting permit processing times to support Ontario’s economy amid U.S. tariffs.
The bill would make it easier to approve landfills and waste-burning facilities, as the province says it has only 10 years of landfill capacity left.
Environment Minister Todd McCarthy said about 40 per cent of Ontario’s commercial waste goes to Michigan and New York, and the U.S. has announced 50-per-cent tariffs on Canadian waste.
McCarthy said the province would hold public consultations and prefers communities to agree to host facilities, but he did not rule out imposing one over local objections.
Ontario’s legislature returned on Tuesday after a 21-week break, giving opposition parties their first chance to question Premier Doug Ford and his government since June 2.
The government unveiled an omnibus bill that it says would cut permitting processing times by nearly 220,000 days.
The bill would make it easier to approve landfills and incineration or energy-from-waste facilities.
Environment Minister Todd McCarthy said Ontario has only 10 years of landfill capacity left and that about 40 per cent of its commercial waste goes to Michigan and New York.
Opposition parties accused Ford of avoiding scrutiny and raised concerns about government decisions and accountability.
- Who
- Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his government, facing questions from opposition parties.
- What
- The legislature returned, and the government introduced a bill to streamline permits, including approvals for landfills and waste facilities.
- When
- Tuesday, October 27, 2026, after a 21-week break.
- Where
- Ontario, Canada.
- Why
- The government says the bill would cut red tape and boost the economy; McCarthy said changes were needed amid U.S. tariffs on Canadian waste and limited landfill capacity.
Ontario government
Ontario opposition parties
Legislature's return
Ontario government
Ford said he had taken 500 meetings since the legislature rose and defended his government's record.
Ontario opposition parties
Opposition parties accused Ford of evading accountability and avoiding scrutiny.
Landfill approvals
Ontario government
The government proposed making approvals easier, saying Ontario has limited landfill capacity and faces tariffs on Canadian waste.
Ontario opposition parties
Not stated
The legislature last sat before the extended break.
Ontario’s legislature returned after a 21-week break.
The government unveiled an omnibus bill proposing to streamline or remove permit and environmental processes.
- Break
- 21 weeks
- Permitting
- Nearly 220,000 days of processing time the government says the bill would eliminate
- Ontario commercial waste
- About 40 per cent is shipped to Michigan and New York
- Landfill capacity
- Ontario has 10 years left, according to Environment Minister Todd McCarthy
- Waste tariffs
- U.S. President Donald Trump announced new 50-per-cent tariffs on Canadian waste
What people are saying
willing host communities
There’s a trend here that this government is making the legislature irrelevant. They just want to govern by Doug Ford’s cellphone.
This minister made a decision at some point when he was in a hotel to give them either his own credit card or the taxpayer’s credit card, and he chose the latter.