Bill 5 Takes Ontario…

Bill 5 Takes Ontario Backward

Bill 5 represents a dangerous step backward for Ontario. It proposes the creation of lawless “Economic Zones” at the government's discretion—areas where rules and regulations will no longer apply. This undermines democracy, the rule of law, and citizens’ rights.

Most alarmingly, Bill 5 would repeal Ontario’s Endangered Species Act (ESA) province-wide. Once considered world-leading, the ESA would be replaced with far weaker regulations, stripping protections for species and habitats. This opens the door for unchecked development to destroy critical ecosystems and restoration efforts—effectively allowing developers to “pave paradise to put up a parking lot.” How have we still not learned from past mistakes?

Bill 5 amounts to a death sentence for Ontario’s endangered species and natural spaces. It also disregards the constitutionally protected rights of Indigenous peoples. First Nations have made it clear that their rights—enshrined in treaties and upheld by the Canadian Constitution—cannot simply be erased by provincial legislation. The Ontario government has a legal and moral obligation to respect these rights and to uphold the process of reconciliation and relationship-building.

Beyond environmental and Indigenous rights concerns, Bill 5 will also set Ontario back economically. By arbitrarily banning the use of Chinese components in energy projects, the bill risks halting new solar and wind development. This would increase electricity costs, create energy shortages and blackouts, and prevent Ontario from leading in the global clean energy and technology market—just when opportunities are emerging to fill critical gaps.

In short, Bill 5 overrides environmental protections, democratic processes, municipal planning authority, provincial laws, and personal rights to prioritize private profits. It gives enormous unchecked power to the government's so-called “Trusted Proponents,” who will be free to destroy land and ecosystems without oversight or accountability.

This bill is not in the public interest. It concentrates power in the hands of a few and removes the protections that exist to serve and safeguard all Ontarians.