Ontario’s Conservative government can’t seem to miss an opportunity to try to solve a problem by doing the wrong thing. In the face of US President Trump’s tariffs, the Ford government is pushing through an omnibus bill that would create “Special Economic Zones” for mining and infrastructure development, and replace the Endangered Species Act with a proposed “Species Conservation Act” as well as amending other legislation and revoking various regulations in relation to development and to procurement.
Pretentiously titled the “Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act,” the sprawling omnibus Bill 5 takes aim at further degrading Ontario’s already-battered and ineffective environmental protections and public engagement in decision-making, and further marginalize Indigenous peoples’ governance in their own territories, removing even the limited and inadequate opportunities for consultation – as required under the Canadian Constitution.
In other words, rather than working to diversify Ontario’s economy and build resilience and sustainability to protect our well-being into the future in the face of a trade war, not to mention climate chaos, the Ford government is moving to degrade both the environment and democratic process. And rather than working towards reconciliation with First Nations and implementation of commitments under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Ford government is moving to bulldoze Indigenous rights to Free, Prior, Informed Consent – and even literally bulldoze their territories. He has, after all, promised to jump on a bulldozer himself to develop roads and mines in the “Ring of Fire.”
There is a lot of excellent analysis on this, including:
- Nature’s Defence’s Legal Analysis and Implications of Bill 5 “Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025”
- Ecojustice’s review of Bill 5
- Environmental Defence’s Bill 5 Backgrounder
- The Narwhal’s explainer: Bill 5: a guide to Ontario’s spring 2025 development and mining legislation
And news coverage:
- The National Observer: Ontario's push to fast-track Ring of Fire mining may actually delay the development it seeks to speed up
- CBC: 'They're putting the First Nations history at risk,' says northern Ontario archeologist about Bill 5
- Ricochet: Canada is not for sale — And neither is Neskantaga First Nation, says chief
- The Canadian Press: Ontario’s new mining bill is a ‘vendetta’ against species at risk: environmentalists
- The Globe and Mail: Ontario’s proposed ‘special economic zones’ are antidemocratic power grab, opponents warn
- The Trillium: Indigenous leaders call on Ford to halt mining bill, consult
- The Canadian Press: Proposed Ontario bill would strip away key environmental protections, advocates say
- The Narwhal: Ontario’s Bill 5 sparks new concerns where a legacy of environmental damage remains
There are also actions Ontario residents can (and should!) take:
- Provide your input via the Environmental Registry of Ontario until midnight, Saturday, May 17, on:
- The Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, 2025
- The new Special Economic Zones Act
- Annulling the requested environmental assessment of the Eagle’s Nest Mine Project in the Ring of Fire
- Proposed interim changes to the Endangered Species Act and the new Species Conservation Act
- Proposed amendments to the Mining Act, Electricity Act, and Ontario Energy Board Act
- Proposed Amendments to the Ontario Heritage Act
- Removing Environmental Assessment Requirements for the York1 Waste Disposal Site Project
- The Standing Committee on the Interior will hold public hearings in Toronto on May 22 and May 26. The deadline to request to make an oral presentation is past, but you can send a written submission by 6:00 p.m. (EDT) on Monday, May 26.
- Send a message to the Premier of Ontario, Minister of Energy and Mines, and your elected Member of Provincial Parliament courtesy of Nature’s Defence – Tell Ontario to Stop Bill 5
- Sign Ontario Nature’s petition to restore the integrity of the Endangered Species Act
- Call your MPP and ask them not to support a bill that would put an end to the rule of law in Ontario. Even a short call will have an impact. If you don’t like talking to strangers, you can call after hours and leave a message. You can find your MPP’s contact details by postal code here.