I vehemently oppose Bill 5. …

I vehemently oppose Bill 5. I support the protection of nature, Indigenous rights, and public trust in government decision-making. I want to see this bill WITHDRAWN in its entirety.

It is a regressive and harmful bill that will speed up the destruction of critical habitat for endangered species, removes basic environmental rights, including rights to be informed and have a say, and fails to respect Indigenous peoples' rights, including those recognized in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

I am against removing the environmental assessment for the Eagle's Nest Mine. Environmental assessments provide a forward-looking assessment designed to help government decision makers, Indigenous authorities and rights holders, and members of the public understand the environmental and socioeconomic outcomes of proposed activities before moving ahead. Without an environmental assessment, we are jeopardizing the lands and waters in the James Bay Lowlands of Northern Ontario.

Exempting entire regions from provincial laws and environmental safeguards through the creation of “special economic zones” - such as those in and around the proposed Ring of Fire mining development - is BANANAS.

Environmentally hazardous sites, like mines, continue to be established near areas primarily inhabited by Indigenous, racialized and low-income communities without their consent or participation. This is environmental racism, a human rights and environmental health issue that will be exacerbated if Bill 5 passes.

The province’s regressive approach to species protection adds to a history of vast and sweeping amendments from other prior and passed bills that have exempted major extractive industries from the ESA’s protective measures, delayed the classification of species on the Species At Risk in Ontario (SARO) List, broadened Ministerial decision-making powers absent a requirement to seek expert advice, and limited the publicly accessible and transparent information sharing. 

We are in a biodiversity crisis. Globally, one million species are at risk of extinction in the next decade. Hundreds of species are at risk in Ontario. We have a responsibility to ensure habitats remain intact to not only ensure species' survival, but also their recovery. A healthy biodiversity supports a stable economy by maintaining ecosystem services such as pollination, water purification, and soil fertility, essential for industries like agriculture, fisheries, and tourism. Loss of biodiversity increases economic risks.

Bill 5 reflects Ontario’s unrestrained and unabashed endorsement of private interests, namely mining proponents and projects, at the cost of any legal requirement to consider the interests of the public, communities, nature and health.  If passed, Bill 5 will undoubtedly erode public confidence in transparent and accountable government decision-making and cause irreparable harm to environmental and human rights.

I support the protection of nature, Indigenous rights, and public trust in government decision-making. I want to see this undemocratic bill WITHDRAWN in its entirety.