As Trump's trade war continues, Premier Doug Ford is seeking to develop Ontario at any cost. The Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, also known as Bill 5, has been pushed through the provincial legislature. In typical provincial Conservative fashion, the bill cuts regulations and opens up swathes of land for access to natural resources.
Although Ford talks up the economic boon that this would be for the province, upon deeper inspection, it gives the resource extraction cartels unrestricted access to tear up lands and line corporate pockets while trampling over environmental protections and pre-existing treaties.
Bill 5 revokes the Endangered Species Act, 2007 and replaces it with the new Species Conservation Act, 2025. Notably, this bill allows for a speeding up of prospecting and permit issuance to companies looking to mine for precious metals in Ontario, specifically in the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario.
Premier Ford has stated, “We can be the wealthiest, richest, most prosperous sub-sovereign nation anywhere in the world if we get those critical minerals out of the ground.” Bill 5 would allow for the Minister to use their discretion to fast track certain permits and allow for certain destruction of Ontario resources.
Conservationists and environmental advocates, however, warn that this would be incredibly detrimental to the environment. The North Star spoke with Dr. Shoshanah Jacobs, a professor at the University of Guelph specializing in forecasting technological futures in the climate crisis.
“The concerns around Bill 5 are indeed warranted. It is in direct conflict with the values of Ontarians and the needs of all Canadians,” says Dr. Jacobs. “[A] bulldozer can destroy in an afternoon what it has taken nature millions of years to build. We cannot rebuild or re-create this.”
This sentiment is echoed by First Nations youth leader Hanna Sewell, co-chair of the Ontario First Nations Young Peoples Council. Sewell points out that their communities “are the ones who will live with the consequences” and says that Bill 5 is a step in the wrong direction: “It puts short-term economic interests ahead of long-term survival of our species, our languages, our waters and our Nations.”
This bill looks to loosen or flat out repeal sections of the original 2007 Endangered Species Act. It looks to expand the powers of the Cabinet such that they can handpick or designate “special economic zones” with the best interests of various corporations in mind. These zones would be exempt from provincial and municipal environmental laws in the area, and any corporations doing any work in these zones would also be exempt.
Bill 5 has also come under fire from First Nations groups which have land treaties in northern Ontario. In a media release, Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict stated that the First Nations Leadership see the bill “as a direct threat to their Nations, lands, jurisdiction and sovereignty.”
For many First Nations, “economic development” can come at the cost of health and safety. In April 2024, Aamjiwnaang First Nation declared a state of emergency due to a benzene leak from the INEOS plastic plant.
Indigenous groups in northern Ontario have been fighting mining companies who have entered their territories without notice or consent. Dr. Jacobs remarked that “Premier Ford fails to recognize that wealth is measured differently by different communities.”
Previously, the Premier came under fire for his handling of the Greenbelt deal and ensuing scandal, which sought to open up protected lands for real-estate developers. The scandal has since prompted an ongoing criminal investigation by the RCMP.