As a concerned Ontario…

As a concerned Ontario resident, I strongly oppose Bill 5, Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, 2025. While economic development is important, this bill adopts a dangerously shortsighted approach that undermines environmental protections, weakens democratic governance, and risks repeating costly mistakes from Canada’s recent history.

1. Repeal of the Endangered Species Act (ESA)

Replacing Ontario’s Endangered Species Act with a weaker Species Conservation Act removes science-based safeguards that are essential for the protection and recovery of species at risk. This bill grants more political discretion over habitat protection, weakens recovery mandates, and prioritizes development over ecological sustainability.

This is not just an environmental issue—it’s an economic one. Ecosystem degradation leads to long-term costs in flood risk, water quality, biodiversity loss, and the collapse of local industries that depend on a healthy environment.

2. The Harper Government’s DFO and ELA Cuts: A Cautionary Tale

This bill mirrors the flawed approach taken by the federal government under Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The decision to defund the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) and gut protections under the Fisheries Act and Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) led to deregulated aquatic systems, overfishing, and weakened freshwater science capacity.

The result? Irreversible damage to fish habitats and overexploitation of stocks—ironically harming the very fishing industry these rollbacks were meant to help. Instead of boosting growth, those cuts created long-term economic setbacks for communities dependent on those natural resources.

Bill 5 makes the same mistake. It assumes deregulation equals development, but fails to account for the long-term ecological and financial costs of ecosystem collapse.

3. Special Economic Zones Undermine Oversight

Bill 5 allows the cabinet to exempt “special economic zones” from key provincial regulations. This circumvents established environmental law, land-use planning, and local authority. It opens the door to unchecked development with minimal oversight—similar to the Greenbelt scandal, but with even less transparency or public accountability.

This centralization of power undercuts Indigenous rights, local democratic processes, and public trust.

4. Poor Long-Term Economic Planning

Cutting environmental protections in the name of short-term growth is not a viable economic strategy. Healthy, functioning ecosystems are the foundation of sustainable development. Protecting biodiversity, water sources, and forests is not anti-growth—it is smart, future-proof economic policy.

Ontario should be investing in clean industries, resilient infrastructure, and ecological preservation—not undermining them.

Final Thoughts

I urge the Ontario government and my representatives to vote against Bill 5. The province should not repeat the costly environmental and economic errors of the past. We must protect species at risk, uphold local and Indigenous rights, and commit to transparent, sustainable development.