Protesters line up to condemn Bay Area Economic Summit for inviting Premier Doug Ford

Protesters lined up along Plains Road East yesterday (June 25) to show their displeasure toward Premier Doug Ford’s role as the keynote speaker at the Bay Area Economic Summit, a gathering of local politicians, business leaders and community figures to discuss the current state of Burlington and Hamilton’s economies.

Around 20 people held signs with slogans like ‘No New Pipelines,’ ‘Hands Off The Greenbelt’ and ‘Ford builds for the rich, not the poor’ painted on them for passing cars to see.

The protest focused on environmentalism but touched on a variety of issues, including the proposed Highway 413 and Ford’s energy projects.

“It’s not just the environment, it goes beyond that,” protester Steve Chalastra said. “The real galling thing is how Ford is using his majority to push things through. Pushing through these mini nuclear reactors, pushing through refurbishing gas plants, pushing through the Bradford Bypass. All of these projects cost billions of dollars and independent studies have shown that they are ineffective. That money could be going into education, it could be going into healthcare, it could be going into housing.”

Ford admitted to breaking his promise to leave the Greenbelt untouched in 2023 after attempting to open the protected land to developers to build more homes, which escalated into a scandal when revealed to the general public.

The Premier also came under fire last year for his plan to turn Ontario Place into a private water park and spa, as well as the recent closing of the Ontario Science Centre with almost no notice given.

Despite the loss of trust in the Premier that the protesters were displaying, some are looking toward the future with hope.

“We can form a citizens assembly,” Kim Bradshaw, another protester, said. “We can advise the government on the policies being put in place and the impact they’re going to have on future generations. If we had a group of citizens who are responsible for ensuring that our policies are good for the future and the livability of the planet, we could change everything and we could do it tomorrow.”

The protest also brought attention to Enbridge Gas, who are attempting to push through a rate hike for gas customers. The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) initially denied the price hike, but the Ontario government quickly introduced legislation to overturn the decision, end the OEB’s independent status and replace the chair of the board.

"Enbridge wants to put gas pipelines into all these developments, and the OEB resists," Chalastra said. "They said 'no, this isn't sustainable'. Enbridge goes to Doug Ford, who uses this majority to ram through Bill 165, decimating the OEB and allowing Enbridge to do whatever they want. Who's going to pay for that? The customers, that's who."

Ford made no mention of the protest during his speech at the Bay Area Economic Summit, held at the Royal Botanical Gardens.

The Summit is presented by RBC in partnership with the Burlington Chamber of Commerce, the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, Burlington Economic Development and InvestInHamilton.