OPINION: The Quiet Coup You’re Paying For: How Ontario’s Democracy is Being Dismantled, One ‘For the People’ Act at a Time

By Eddie Hardie, Sociopolitical Commentator @ Canuck🍁Post

OPINION: The Quiet Coup You’re Paying For: How Ontario’s Democracy is Being Dismantled, One ‘For the People’ Act at a Time

Hold onto your toques, Canada. While you’ve been dutifully watching the political circus south of the border, a quieter, more polite—and arguably more effective—assault on democracy has been brewing in your own backyard. The stage is Queen’s Park, the director is Premier Doug Ford, and the script is a masterclass in dismantling democratic norms without anyone even noticing.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t a riot. It’s a raid. A slow, methodical, and legally-sound raid on the very pillars that hold up our provincial house. And the most terrifying part? It’s all happening under the guise of “getting things built” and “for the people.”

The “Growing List” of Democratic Decorations Being Removed

As pointed out by Jessica Bell, the NDP MPP for University—Rosedale, the Ford government isn’t just passing controversial policies; it’s systematically rewriting the rules of the game to ensure it never loses. This isn’t politics as usual; it’s political plastic surgery, and they’re carving up the face of Ontario.

1. The Strong-Mayor, Weak-People Bills:
Ford’s government gifted the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa with new “strong mayor” powers, allowing them to veto bylaws that contradict provincial priorities (read: the Premier’s). This effectively sidelines elected city councils. It’s a breathtaking move—why debate and compromise with a diverse council when you can have a single, provincially-aligned mayor just… overrule them? It’s democracy with a fast-pass, and the premier holds the tickets.

• Source: Ontario Newsroom: Ontario Providing More Tools to Help Municipalities Build Homes

2. The Greenbelt Heist:
In a move that shocked environmentalists and municipal planners alike, the government forcibly removed 7,400 acres of land from the protected Greenbelt to build 50,000 homes—land that some developers just happened to have recently purchased. The ensuing scandal, a corruption probe, and a scathing Auditor General’s report forced a reversal, but the message was sent: long-standing environmental protections are negotiable if the price is right. The sanctity of preserved land? A quaint notion.

• Source: Auditor General of Ontario: Special Report on Changes to the Greenbelt – This report found the process was biased and favoured certain developers.

3. The MZOs: “Minister’s Zoning Orders” or “Making Zoning Obsolete”?
The government’s use of MZOs has exploded. These orders allow the province to bypass local planning rules and public consultation entirely. They’ve been used over 100 times since 2018, compared to a handful by previous governments. It’s the legislative equivalent of using a wrecking ball for a job that requires a scalpel. Public input? Environmental assessments? Mere speed bumps on the road to development.

• Source: Environmental Defence: MZO Tracking

4. The “Not-With-Standing” Clause: The Nuclear Option as a First Resort
Perhaps the most brazen act was the use of the Charter-overriding notwithstanding clause in the Keeping Students in Class Act, 2022 to pre-emptively strip the constitutional rights of education workers before a strike had even begun. This wasn’t a last resort; it was a pre-emptive strike on collective bargaining and Charter rights. Using the democratic system’s emergency brake to run a red light is a perversion of power that should send a chill down every Canadian’s spine.

Why This Should Terrify You, A Canadian

“But it’s just Ontario,” you might say. “It’s not my problem.” Wake up. This is a blueprint.

• Your Vote is Being Devalued: When a government can override municipal councils it doesn’t like and use MZOs to force through projects, the power of your local vote evaporates. Why bother with a city council election if the province can just step in and say “no”?

• Checks and Balances are Being Eroded: The beauty of our system is its built-in friction—the push and pull between different levels of government and the courts. The Ford government is sanding down that friction, turning our democracy into a slippery slope where one party can govern with near-impunity.

• It Creates a Playbook for Others: If this works in Ontario, why wouldn’t another premier in another province try the same tactics? The normalization of the pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause is a national crisis in the making.

• It Kills Trust: A 2022 study by the Democratic Audit at the University of Toronto’s School of Cities found a significant decline in public trust in Ontario’s municipal governance structures, citing provincial overreach as a key factor. When people lose faith in their institutions, the social contract begins to fray.

This isn’t about left vs. right. This is about democracy vs. efficiency masquerading as autocracy. They aren’t breaking the windows and storming the building. They’re just quietly changing the locks, and keeping all the keys for themselves. The question is, will anyone notice before it’s too late to get back in?