Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Advocates from civil liberties, treaty rights and environmental organizations gathered at Queen’s Park to oppose the Ontario government’s proposed Bill 5.
Bill 5 would give the Premier and his cabinet unprecedented control over the province, including the ability to exempt individuals and corporations from provincial and municipal laws and bypass consultation with Indigenous communities.
If passed, Bill 5 would:
- Allow the premier and cabinet to designate “special economic zones” in which “trusted proponents” would be given the authority to undertake projects without regard to provincial and municipal laws;
- Exempt developments from archeological assessments if the Ontario government is of the opinion that an exemption “could potentially advance one or more of the following provincial priorities”: transit; housing; health and long-term care; other infrastructure; and such other priorities as may be prescribed. Archeological assessments often trigger the duty to consult with Indigenous communities and First Nations governments;
- Repeal Ontario’s Endangered Species Act – ending most meaningful protections for endangered, threatened and special concern species and their habitat; and
- Terminate comprehensive environmental assessments for two projects: the proposed Eagle’s Nest mine in Northern Ontario and the proposed Dresden Dump. The environmental assessments for both projects were put into place to provide forward-looking understanding of environmental and socio-economic conditions and impacts of planned developments to government decision-makers, Indigenous communities as well as members of the public.
Grand Chief Joel Abram, Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians:
“We cannot and will not support development that bypasses consultation, ignores our rights and puts the environment and our heritage at risk. We call on the Ontario government to immediately pause Bill 5. Ontario cannot legislate away its responsibilities.”
Duff Conacher, Co-founder of Democracy Watch:
“The bill is dangerously undemocratic as it proposes to give the Ford cabinet unconstitutional, king-like powers to change any law without a review or vote of approval by Ontario’s legislature, and also proposes to prohibit anyone from going to court to challenge the cabinet’s abuses of power.”
Michel J. Koostachin, Founder of Friends of the Attawapiskat River:
“It is our duty and responsibility to protect our Mother Earth, our water, that gives us life. We have seen what greed did to our traditional territory and the contamination caused by De Beers’ mining projects to our river. We have a duty to stand up and protect these lands. They are not just resources to be extracted – they are living, breathing relatives that sustain us all.”
Chief Gary Quisses, Neskantaga First Nation:
“Neskantaga stands in opposition to this Bill. We will fight the bulldozers that the Ford Government wants to fast-track. Even if you take away all your environmental laws and protections – our laws live on. Our people will meet you on the land. These are our homelands and our consent has not been provided to cross the river system of our homelands. Premier Ford keeps saying Canada is not for sale—we say our lands are actually not for sale.”
Tim Gray, Executive Director of Environmental Defence:
“Premier Ford promised to protect Ontario, but Bill 5 breaks that promise. He’s making it easier for his friends to pave over farms, forests and wetlands and wipe out endangered species without any guardrails. Just like we did with the Greenbelt, we need to come together to stop his attack.”
Representatives from Archaeological Research Associates Ltd, EcoJustice, GASP, Legal Advocates for Nature’s Defence, McCoy Archaeological Services, Ontario Place for All, Ontario Nature, the Toronto Zoo and Wilderness Committee were also at Queen’s Park to voice their opposition to Bill 5.
ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.
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For more information or to request an interview, please contact:
Cecilia Stuart, Environmental Defence
media@environmentaldefence.ca
