May 15, 2025 To: Ontario…

May 15, 2025

To: Ontario Place Redevelopment Secretariat

Re: Ontario’s Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, 2025

As a First Nation’s member in Ontario, I have serious concerns with Ontario’s Bill 5.
1. It will allow the government to override archaeological assessments and cultural protections. It threatens burial sites, ceremonial grounds, and places of spiritual importance for all First Nations. The bill violates First nation’s responsibilities to our ancestors and to all of Creation.
2. First Nations are not stakeholders – we are rights holders. Bill 5 disregards our governance, our laws, and responsibilities as treaty partners. It undermines our inherent jurisdiction over lands and waters, and it violates the spirit and intent of our treaties.
3. If Bill 5 is allowed to go ahead, it gives the provincial Cabinet power to create a Special Economic Zones where normal rules do not apply. This includes the ability to bypass environmental reviews, First Nation consent, and even municipal bylaws. First Nations have not been consulted about these zones, many of which could overlap with treaty territories.
4. Bill 5 weakens or eliminates important laws like the Endangered Species Act and the Environmental Assessment Act. It removes protections for the lands, water, species at risk, and sacred places. This will disproportionately affect First Nation territories which hold the greatest biodiversity and are often targeted for resource extraction.
5. There was no consultation or consent from First Nations about Bill 5. This violates Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 and the Crown’s obligations under historic treaties including the Robinson Huron Treaty of 1850. The bill ignores Canada’s international commitments to the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

In conclusion, Ontario’s Bill 5 is being rushed through legislature with little or no engagement or consent with First Nations, municipalities, or the public. It poses a serious threat to the environment, First Nation Rights, and democratic oversight. The Ontario government needs to stop moving forward with Bill 5 and address the concerns of not only First Nations but everyone who will be impacted by it.

Miigwech,
Whitefish River First Nation community member