Proposed Bill 5, "Protecting…

Proposed Bill 5, "Protecting Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act," is not just a misleading title, it’s a calculated smokescreen, in fact, the devil’s in the detail. Split into ten separate schedules with clashing ERO numbers and rammed through under a rushed 30-day consultation, this fragmented approach is a textbook case of regulatory sleight-of-hand. It’s designed to overwhelm, confuse, and silence public and expert voices. Just like the Greenbelt grab, it reeks of a developer-first agenda - fast-tracking sprawl while gutting environmental safeguards. What’s at stake isn’t just process, but principle: the deliberate dismantling of protections and leaving the public with little to no recourse.

Specific to Eagle's Nest Mine and related Schedules: The government is giving major industrial projects - like the massive Eagle’s Nest mine in Northern Ontario and a waste site in Chatham-Kent - a free pass to skip environmental assessments. By removing these safeguards, it’s slamming the door on transparency, cutting the public and Indigenous communities out of the conversation, and dismantling critical protections for land, water, and wildlife. This isn’t streamlining - it’s erasure of environmental responsibility in the name of unchecked industrial expansion.

New changes make it easier for businesses to walk away from environmental oversight, while expanding unchecked ministerial power over fees. It’s a clear signal: industry convenience is being elevated above environmental responsibility. This isn’t just administrative tweaking—it’s part of a broader shift toward deregulation and backroom control, with the public and the planet left to bear the cost.

Moreover, these changes hand the Ontario government sweeping, unchecked power over who can access and exploit the province’s mineral resources - especially critical minerals. Framed as an effort to "strengthen the economy while protecting the environment," the reality tells a different story. The sole focus is economic gain, while environmental protection is treated as a vague afterthought - offered in rhetoric but nowhere in substance. The government can override existing rights, cancel claims, and fast-track industrial projects without public oversight. Legal pathways to challenge these decisions are being wiped out, silencing landowners, Indigenous nations, and environmental defenders. This is not a balanced policy - it’s a blatant power grab that prioritizes profit over people, land, and future generations.

In 'Special Economic Zones', favoured companies are granted carte blanche to bypass environmental laws, municipal by-laws, and essential regulations. Rules can be rewritten to suit their interests, while legal challenges are effectively shut down—leaving the public powerless and without recourse. This isn’t just a loophole - it’s a complete undermining of accountability, fairness, and the very foundation of regulatory oversight.

I strongly oppose the components of the 10 schedules of Bill 5. This Bill dismantles Ontario’s science-based species protections, narrowing the definition of habitat and granting the government unchecked discretion. By prioritizing rapid development, it abandons ecological responsibility, decimates Indigenous rights, and erodes democratic oversight. The result is devastating: at-risk species are left with no meaningful protections, no clear path to recovery, and communities are stripped of any legal recourse. This Bill doesn't just weaken environmental safeguards - it puts the future of our ecosystems and rights in jeopardy.

A more detailed response to Bill 5 and its EROs/Schedules is attached.