How Windsor-Essex MPPs voted on Ontario's Bill 140
Ontario's Bill 140 passed second reading 75-41 on Nov. 2. Windsor-Essex MPPs: Dowie, Leardi and Jones voted yes. Gretzky voted no. The omnibus bill ends the Environmental Bill of Rights' resident requests for reviews and investigations, among other changes.
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Three of Windsor-Essex's four MPPs voted for Ontario's Bill 140, the Building Ontario Faster Act, 2026, when it passed second reading at Queen's Park on Monday, Nov. 2.
The vote carried 75 to 41, according to the Legislative Assembly's recorded vote. The bill was then ordered referred to a standing committee, so it is not law yet.
How our MPPs voted
Andrew Dowie (Windsor-Tecumseh, PC): Yes
Anthony Leardi (Essex, PC): Yes
Trevor Jones (Chatham-Kent-Leamington, PC): Yes
Lisa Gretzky (Windsor West, NDP): No
The same four MPPs voted the same way on the closure motion that ended second-reading debate.
What the bill does
Bill 140 was introduced by Andrea Khanjin, Ontario's Minister of Red Tape Reduction. It is an omnibus bill that changes many laws at once.
One of the biggest changes is to the Environmental Bill of Rights. According to the bill's explanatory note, Bill 140 repeals Parts IV to VI of that law, including residents' applications for a review, applications for an investigation, and environmental protection actions. It also repeals the statements of environmental values that ministries must keep.
What it means for you
If you live in Windsor-Essex and want to ask the province to review an environmental law or investigate a possible violation, the Environmental Bill of Rights is the tool that lets you do that today. Bill 140 would remove those request powers. The bill still has to go through committee and third reading before it becomes law, and you can contact your MPP's office about it before then.
Sources: Canada's National Observer, Nov. 3, 2026 ( Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Bill 140 text and explanatory note ( recorded vote on second reading, Nov. 2, 2026 ( recorded vote on closure (
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