Latest news with #ProtectOntariobyUnleashingourEconomyAct
Canada Standard
4 days ago
- Politics
- Canada Standard
'Canada is not for sale' - but new Ontario law prioritizes profits over environmental and Indigenous rights
Despite provincewide protests, Ontario's Bill 5 officially became law on June 5. Critics warn of the loss of both environmental protections and Indigenous rights. The law empowers the province to create special economic zones where companies or projects don't have to comply with provincial regulations or municipal bylaws. Bill 5, also known as the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, reduces the requirements for environmental assessment. By doing so, it weakens ecological protection laws that safeguard the rights of Indigenous Peoples and at-risk species. Indigenous rights and Indigenous knowledge are critical for planetary health. But the bill passed into law with no consultation with First Nations. Therefore, it undermines the duty to consult while seemingly favouring government-aligned industries. Indigenous Peoples have long stewarded the environment through sustainable practices that promote ecological and human health. Bill 5's provisions to allow the bypassing of environmental regulations and shift from a consent-based model to one of consultation violate Aboriginal and Treaty rights. Metis lawyer Bruce McIvor has described the shift as a "policy of legalized lawlessness." Wildfires that are currently burning from British Columbia to northern Ontario are five times more likely to occur due to the effects of climate change caused by the burning of fossil fuels. On the federal level, Bill C-5, called the Building Canada Act, was introduced in the House of Commons on June 6 by Prime Minister Mark Carney. This bill further compounds the threat to environmental protections, species at risk and Indigenous rights across the country in favour of resource extraction projects. It removes the need for the assessment of the environmental impacts of projects considered to be of "national interest." Ford and Carney want to fast-track the so-called Ring of Fire mineral deposit within Treaty 9 territory in northern Ontario by labelling it a "special economic zone" and of "national interest." The proposed development is often described as a potential $90 billion opportunity. But scientists say there are no reliable estimates of the costs related to construction, extraction, benefit sharing and environmental impacts in the Ring of Fire. The mining development could devastate traditional First Nations livelihoods and rights. It could also worsen the effects of climate change in Ontario's muskeg, the southernmost sea ice ecosystem in the world. Northern Ontario has the largest area of intact boreal forest in the world. Almost 90 per cent of the region's 24,000 residents are Indigenous. The Mushkegowuk Anniwuk, the original people of the Hudson Bay lowlands, refer to this area as "the Breathing Lands" - Canada's lungs. Cree nations have lived and stewarded these lands for thousands of years. Journalist Jessica Gamble of Canadian National Geographic says the James Bay Lowlands, part of the Hudson Bay Lowlands, are "traditional hunting grounds" and "the largest contiguous temperate wetland complex in the world." This ecosystem is home to 200 different migratory bird species and plays a critical role in environmental health through carbon sequestration and water retention. The Wildlands League has described the area as "home to hundreds of plant, mammal and fish species, most in decline elsewhere." Northern Ontario, meantime, is warming at four times the global average. Jeronimo Kataquapit is a filmmaker from Attawapiskat who is spearheading the "Here We Stand" campaign in opposition to Bill 5 with Attawapiskat residents and neighbouring Mushkegowuk Nations and Neskantaga First Nation. As the spokesperson for Here We Stand, he said: "Ontario's Bill 5 and Canada's proposed national interest legislation are going to destroy the land, pollute the water, stomp all over our treaty rights, our inherent rights, our laws and our ways of life." An estimated 900 to 1,000 polar bears live in Ontario, mostly along the Hudson Bay and James Bay coasts. But there has been a 73 per cent decline in wildlife populations globally since the 1970s, according to the World Wildlife Fund. In Canada, species of global concern have declined by 42 per cent over the same time. Canada's Arctic and boreal ecosystems, once symbols of the snow-capped "Great White North," are now at risk. Polar bears, listed as threatened under the Ontario Endangered Species Act and of "special concern" nationally, are particularly sensitive to human activities and climate change. Polar bears and ringed seals are culturally significant and serve as ecological indicators for ecosystems. Melting sea ice has already altered their behaviour, forcing them to spend more time on land. Cree First Nations in Northern Ontario's biodiverse Treaty 9 territory are collaborating with federal and provincial governments and conservationists to protect polar bears. Right now, there is recognition of the importance of Cree knowledge in planning and the management of polar bears. The new Ontario law removes safeguards protecting the province's endangered species, such as the Endangered Species Act. It strips key protections for at-risk wildlife, such as habitat protections, environmental impact assessments and ecosystems conservation. Climate change and weaker environmental protections will lead to irreversible damage to our environment and biodiversity. The ecosystem services that each animal, insect and plant provides - like cleaning the air we breathe and water we drink - are essential for a healthy province. The impact of Bill 5 and C-5 on these species is likely to be severe. Ontario could benefit from improved infrastructure and economic growth, but development requires careful planning and collaboration. It should rely on innovative science-based solutions, especially Indigenous sciences. And it should never infringe on Indigenous rights, bypass environmental assessments or threaten endangered species. While Bill 5 commits to the duty to consult with First Nations, it falls short of the free, prior and informed consent required by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Since becoming Canadian law in June 2021, the federal government has been obligated to align its laws with UNDRIP. With Bill 5 in place, some of Ontario's major projects may be fast-tracked with minimal safeguards. Both Bill 5 and the proposed C-5 prioritize short-term economic gains that will cause irreversible environmental damage and violate legal obligations under UNDRIP.
Hamilton Spectator
13-06-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Stratford citizens express concern over recently passed Bill 5
Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, passed its third reading and received royal assent at the Ontario legislature this month. Although much of the discourse surrounding it has been focused on communities in northern Ontario, some in Stratford believe that it has far reaching consequences – and that Stratford citizens should be concerned. 'There are elements of the act that dismantle environmental protection,' Bill James-Abra of Climate Momentum said. 'That is part of it. The other part was the whole tone of the act is part of this process the government's doing of … dismantling local decision-making power and dismantling the voice of local communities to have some say in how development happens. 'If this law had been in place, I'm fairly confident when the Xinyi glass plant was proposed for Stratford, we wouldn't have had any say … it sounds over dramatic, but the law makes it possible for things like our Cooper site to be effectively taken over by the cabinet in Toronto for their hand picked developers to do what they please. It's offensive and it's wrong.' As James-Abra indicated, Bill 5 amends and replaces the Endangered Species Act (once touted as the gold standard of conservation legislation) with the Species Conservation Act, but it also gives the province the special power to establish 'special economic zones.' These zones can be designated anywhere in Ontario and can exempt a company, referred in the legislation as a 'trusted proponent,' or project from complying with provincial laws, regulations or municipal bylaws, as determined by the province. The Province of Ontario proposed the bill in the first place to 'cut red tape and duplicative processes that have held back major infrastructure, mining and resource development projects.' It is intended to make the province more competitive on the global stage, streamlining processes, lowering costs, and shortening review times. In a previous discussion on the 2025 provincial budget, Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae reiterated his party's stance on the bill and said it is necessitated by the uncertain times Ontario and Canada is in. 'Some have described it as an economic war with our U.S. colleagues, and we really need to get things built quickly in a timely manner,' Rae said. 'Bill 5 in particular is looking at mines in northern Ontario. It takes 15 years on average in Ontario to build a mine. That takes five to seven years in the E.U. or Australia.' Rae further said that every U.S. state has a version of a special economic zone and many countries use them as a planning tool. 'If you want investment to happen in the province, you need to facilitate investment … no argument here on that,' James-Abra said in response. 'But it seems the government can't conceive of the possibility that you could do that collaboratively.' Before the bill was officially adopted, Climate Momentum held a 'postcard party' where they invited those interested to a drop-in party at the Falstaff Family Centre. There, they could write or sign custom postcards to be hand delivered to provincial representatives. 'We were really pleased,' James-Abra said about the turnout. 'We ended up with more than 125 handwritten postcards. We had moms and dads coming in with their school-aged kids to write cards together. We had high school students dropping in. We had university students home for the summer break and everything from grandparents to grandkids writing cards.' On May 30, Climate Momentum delivered those letters to Rae's Stratford office. On Monday, after representatives partook in the Pride parade over the weekend, a few more were delivered as well. Now that the bill has received royal ascent, keeping focus on it will be more difficult, James-Abra acknowledged, but his organization will consult with other larger advocacy groups to see what could be done moving forward. On whether or not he has hope that the province will listen to criticism on the bill's measures, he had his doubts – but he still had hope. 'There's an old proverb about how paths are made by walking,' he said. 'There are places where today there are no paths, and in time there will be a path. And it will be made because people walked it. … I'm hopeful. I wouldn't be doing this work if I wasn't.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Canada Standard
09-06-2025
- Business
- Canada Standard
Opinion: 'Don't Look, Just Leap', Carney and Ford Agree
Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford seem to think that environmental assessment laws governing new pipelines, mines, nuclear power plants, ports, power dams, and transmission lines are no longer needed. Trust us, they say. Give us and the other politicians in our cabinets unfettered discretion to decide in secret which projects are in the national interest, where free-fire special economic zones should be established, and which corporations we should accept as trusted partners in exploiting Canada's natural wealth No need for serious debate in legislatures, they say. Ontario's Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act , was whipped through the provincial legislature in eight weeks. Carney wants Bill C-5, the Building Canada Act , enacted by Parliament by Canada Day, July 1. Independent scientists, civil society, and local communities need not be consulted on new megaprojects, they say. Governments know best. Yes, Indigenous nations must be heard from on account of that pesky Constitution and Supreme Court. But those consultations must be done quickly because project approvals are guaranteed within two years to ensure certainty for investors. View our latest digests Yes, they say, Canada's boreal forest is burning, atmospheric and other rivers are overflowing, and sea levels are rising. But action to address the climate and biodiversity emergencies really must be put on hold on account of the tyrant to the south. We need to let the U.S. President-not to mention the big investment banks-know that Canada can lay steel and pour concrete as fast as his country can. Benefits to Canadians from these national interest projects must wait, as well. Beginning roughly a half-century ago, Conservative federal and Ontario governments enacted laws requiring development projects to be assessed so that their environmental effects could be avoided, or at least mitigated. Ontario's Environmental Assessment Act was enacted in 1975, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act in 1992. Premier Bill Davis amd Prime Minister Mulroney understood that bureaucrats and consulting engineers don't always get it right, and that the singular focus on economic growth can sometimes leads to ecological disaster. Look before you leap. Ensure that government decisions to approve new highways, oil sands mines, or pipelines at least consider possible adverse environmental effects. Otherwise you get Chornobyl, Fukushima, Deepwater Horizon, and the Mount Polley and Giant mines. Ontario's Bill 5 and federal Bill C-5 effectively override these environmental assessment laws for the very projects that most need assessment and public discussion. Thank goodness we have elected such wise men who truly understand that a tunnel under the 401 highway, a trans-Canada energy corridor, and new roads to the Arctic are environmentally sustainable and will generate amazing benefits to regular Canadians. As catastrophic climate change and species extinctions accelerate, Canadians may be comforted by the thought that oil and gas and mining companies and investment banks will enjoy healthy profits for at least a few more quarters. Stephen Hazell is a veteran environmental lawyer, a member of the Energy Mix Productions Board of Directors, and an advisor to two national organizations assessing the impacts of Bill C-5. Source: The Energy Mix
Global News
30-05-2025
- Business
- Global News
Ford considering Hwy. 401 tunnel as special economic zone where laws could be bypassed
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is indicating that Highway 401 could be designated as a special economic zone, allowing the province to fast-track its plans to construct a transit and traffic tunnel beneath it, while sidestepping a raft of environmental and municipal laws. The province is currently in the process of passing Bill 5, Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, legislation it introduced to speed up mining projects in the north. Part of the legislation allows for the creation of special economic zones, areas where cabinet will be able to suspend provincial and municipal laws for certain projects. The projects that would qualify for the wide-ranging powers were not made public when the bill was tabled. On Friday, Ford suggested that a list of priority plans he sent to Prime Minister Mark Carney at the beginning of the month would all get the exception status. Story continues below advertisement Those projects are: developing the resource-rich Ring of Fire in Thunder Bay; expanding Ontario's nuclear power generating stations; building a deep-sea port in James Bay; massive expansion to the GO Train system; and building a tunnelled expressway under Highway 401. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Yes, we will, as we move forward,' Ford said, after being asked if he would designate all five projects as special economic zones. 'But that only goes, again, with the cooperation of the 444 municipalities, always with the First Nations communities across our province as well, especially when it comes to critical minerals.' Ford's office stressed consultation on the creation of special economic zones would continue over the summer — pointing out they will be created in regulation and not automatically land when the legislation passes. 'We want to get going on nation-building projects and will make sure it's done right,' a spokesperson said. Of the five projects, the government's Highway 401 tunnel project has received the most pushback from opposition politicians. The plan is in its infancy and has been decried by opponents as a 'half-baked, back-of-the-napkin scheme.' It would involve constructing an expressway beneath Highway 401 from Mississauga to Markham and could cost tens of billions of dollars. If it were designated as a special economic zone — as the premier suggested on Friday — the route's builders could be allowed to bypass municipal bylaws and provincial laws that govern construction projects or permitting, for example. Story continues below advertisement The government recently issued a request for bidders to study how to build the route — a process which would currently take two years. Opposition politicians have raised concerns about the scope of power special economic zones will give the government, calling the move a 'power grab' that lacks transparency. Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said she feared the zones would not be limited to nation-building projects and would extend beyond without limits. 'We're not just talking about mining, we're talking about access to everyone — so every farmer, every Ontarian should be concerned about this,' she said on Wednesday. 'What this government is doing is passing legislation to give them unfettered access to power. 'It's a power grab, creating no-law zones.' The legislation that will allow for the creation of special economic zones is expected to pass sometime next week at the Ontario legislature.
Hamilton Spectator
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Idle No More 2.0 will be ‘fierce' if Doug Ford moves ahead with Bill 5
First Nations leaders in northern Ontario are vowing an 'Idle No More 2.0' if the province passes Bill 5, legislation designed to speed up development without clear rules on Indigenous consultation and accommodation. 'If and when this becomes law, say next week or after that, there will be fierce resistance from our side,' Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler said on Thursday, representing the chiefs of 49 communities in the province's far north. 'I know my dear friend Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Linda Debassige has said the same thing. 'This is what we're looking at: Idle No More 2.0.' Debassige referenced the 2012 movement that asserted Indigenous rights and sovereignty across Canada in response to federal omnibus legislation in a statement Anishinabek Nation issued on Tuesday. She urged Premier Doug Ford to immediately withdraw the controversial Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, saying, 'we caution the provincial government that should Bill 5 proceed in its current form, we will be idle no more.' That statement followed two days of deputations that chiefs and grand chiefs across the province made to the Standing Committee on the Interior over the past week. All of those deputations called for the government to scrap the bill and start again with consultation, while deputations referenced the possibility of demonstrations or direct action if the bill passes. First Nations argue the series of laws that Bill 5 amends, such as the Mining Act and the Endangered Species Act, comprise a legal regime on free, prior and informed consultation and accommodation. The bill proposes new 'special economic zones' the minister can designate without size or impact limitation, that would exempt developers from following defined regulations and protocols on Indigenous engagement. 'They need to provide more details, procedures and protocols with this duty to consult,' said Nibinamik (Summer Beaver First Nation) Chief Michael Sugarhead. 'When other development comes, such as mining engagement, that we've been having recently, our rights aren't really considered.' Nibinamik is located about 100 kilometres west of the 5,000-square-kilometre Ring of Fire mineral deposit, which Ford has said he will name as the first special economic zone. Twenty years after prospectors found the deposit, Sugarhead said Ontario still refuses to recognize nearby First Nations as full partners and he's concerned this legislation will deeply impact the land while leaving future generations in poverty.'How is this going to help our community? We live in third-world conditions and it's like that because of the government,' he said. Sugarhead said the residual effects of this are poor health, poor education, and poor standards of living. 'Reconciliation is imperative in this case, to have that meaningful partnership and participation in this type of development. If it's not there, I don't think that the people of the land will give their free, prior and informed consent.' Facing mounting opposition, Progressive Conservative committee members introduced 23 amendments to Bill 5 on Wednesday, including one that made explicit the government's commitment to abide by its constitutional responsibility to consult and 'affirmation of existing Aboriginal and treaty rights.' Nibinamik's lawyer, Zachary Davis, accused the Doug Ford Conservatives of committing 'lip service' to Indigenous rights, insisting the amendment is legally empty. 'The government's just admitting what is already true,' Davis said. 'These are constitutional obligations. It provides no certainty.' Sol Mamakwa , Kiiwetinoong NDP MPP and the only First Nations member of the Legislature, called the PC's amendments 'meaningless, unserious, and worse than useless,' while he accused the government of 'placing itself above and beyond the law.' Mamakwa introduced two separate motions in committee that would have seen hearings on Bill 5 take place in Thunder Bay and other parts of northern Ontario. PC committee members defeated them both. Indigenous minister Greg Rickford said during question period on Wednesday that consultation with First Nations will begin after the bill is passed. To that end, his government will introduce, 'Indigenous-led economic zones.' Rickford said in a statement to Ricochet Media that his office intends, 'to work throughout the summer in consultation with Indigenous partners to develop regulations to create new Indigenous-led economic zones as part of Bill 5. This amendment creating a new category of zone is at the request of some First Nations who, like us, want to build projects that will unlock economic prosperity for generations.' But Fiddler says Ontario has offered no direction or definition of what such a zone designation would entail. 'The impression we're getting is that they're just making things up on the fly,' Fiddler said. 'I think it's too late in the process to try to fix this bill with any kind of amendments, including creating Indigenous-led economic zones. We don't even know what that means.' The Mushkegowuk Council is meeting in Sault Ste. Marie to discuss the bill on Thursday, including representatives of Moose Cree First Nation. On April 9, Moose Cree Chief Peter Wesley stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Ontario energy minister Stephen Lecce to announce the construction of two new hydroelectric facilities that will generate 430 megawatts in the shared traditional territory with Taykwa Tagamou Nation. By the end of May, Ontario introduced Bill 5. Wesley couldn't believe it. 'We were involved from the very initial stages of the project and to have minister Lecce acknowledge that, wow, this is the groundwork of how it should be,' he said. 'What happened? To have Bill 5 come out, and 'we'll think about adding consultation as an afterthought?' It's not going to work. A few weeks ago, we thought we were on the right path. I don't know if that's there anymore.' Moose Cree has been expressing disapproval of a prospective niobium mine 25 kilometres up the North French River since 2019. Wesley says he has voiced his community's opposition to the project in written letters to both Ford and Rickford, but has received no Cree members took the train to demonstrate in Ottawa during the 2012 Idle No More movement. Wesley believes that if Bill 5 passes, his community will be prepared to stand up once more.'There might be a lot of civil unrest by First Nations again,' he said. 'We have some very outspoken members who will not stand for the North French to be touched – and they've made their views pretty clear.'
