I strongly oppose Bill 5,…

I strongly oppose Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act. This legislation poses a serious threat to Ontario’s natural heritage, democratic processes and Indigenous rights.

Time and again, our leaders play politics and gamble the bedrock of our very being. There is no economy without a healthy ecosystem. We have seen the miles Doug Ford will go given half an inch - selling off the Greenbelt. Selling off Ontario Place. Little has to do with the economy because the economy suffers when people do. And further risking the degradation of our environment through rolling back protections is a great way to ensure we will be paying hand over fist for decades to come.

Bill 5 proposes to repeal the Endangered Species Act — one of the few tools we have to protect at-risk wildlife and the ecosystems they depend on. Replacing it with vague “goals” and unenforceable measures will lead to the further decline of species already on the brink. This is not modernization. It’s deregulation that puts short-term industrial gain ahead of long-term ecological and community health.

Equally alarming is the creation of “special economic zones” that would allow cabinet to approve major development projects without proper environmental assessment, public input or Indigenous consultation. This short cut for Ford’s friends undermines transparency, accountability and Ontario’s duty to uphold Indigenous rights and treaties.

Grassy Narrows are still looking for compensation and safety after that economic decision led to generations of lead poisioning. To unleash mining in the Ring of Fire is to ensure a similar fate, to deny reconciliation and decency, let alone inherent treaty rights and obligations.

Ontarians have not asked for weaker protections or less say in decisions that affect the province’s land, water and future. Bill 5 would silence community voices, marginalize science and erase decades of hard-won environmental progress.

I urge the Ontario government to withdraw Bill 5 in its entirety and instead work with environmental experts, Indigenous leaders and the public to strengthen — not dismantle — our systems of environmental protection.

Protecting nature is not a barrier to economic growth. It’s the foundation of a healthy, resilient and just society.