Bill 5 is a significant step…

Bill 5 is a significant step backwards for species conservation in Ontario. The following are just some of the many points in the act that I take issue with as an Ontario citizen:
1. The Bill does not include any explicit oversight mechanisms or ways in which Indigenous Governments will be able to either participate in, or raise concerns about, decision-making under the bill. Since the bill itself eliminates most, if not all, of the “crown conduct” which would normally trigger consultation, this raises concerns over whether Ontario's promise to continue meeting its obligations to consult is just an empty promise. Suppose there are no regulatory requirements, no permits that need to be issued or licenses to grant. In that case, the conduct contemplated by the Crown, and by extension, the consultation owed to First Nations, will be significantly limited. (Olthuis Kleer Townshend 2025)
2. "Protecting nature isn’t just an environmental imperative, it’s a smart economic investment, with ecosystem services like clean water, pollination and climate regulation contributing billions of dollars to Ontario’s economy each year." (World Wildlife Fund 2025). Economic growth SHOULD NOT be prioritised over species protection and conservation. In the long term, ignoring the importance of species and habitat conservation will lead to increased costs to replace or repair these ecosystem services, when adequate protection could have prevented loss in the first place.
3. The Bill states that "Under the provisions of the current ESA, anyone carrying out an activity impacting these species on non-federal lands has been required to obtain authorizations under both federal and provincial species at risk legislation." However, Federal laws do not protect habitat for migratory birds on private or provincial crown land, as the rationale for the change incorrectly suggests.
4. "Ontario’s threatened and endangered birds need plans for their survival and recovery. The proposed changes eliminate the requirement to develop recovery plans and propose no meaningful alternative. Without recovery plans, the new Species Conservation Program will not be able to set priorities, and businesses and the public will not have guidance on the most important places to protect and actions to take." (Birds Canada 2025)

With the changes in the More Homes, More Choice Act, passed by the provincial government in June 2019, and the proposed changes of Bill 5, it is clear that the Ontario government is too focused on economic growth and exploiting natural resources to consider the importance of species protection for both long-term ecosystem service benefits and the innate value of Ontario's nature. As an Ontarian who values the environment, it is disheartening to see time after time again how the provincial government is dismantling what used to be the best provincial species-at-risk law in Canada.