First Nations leaders from Ontario’s Ring of Fire region are demanding that the provincial government withdraw Bill 5, warning that the proposed legislation would undermine Indigenous rights and open the door to unchecked development in their territories.
Gathering at Queen’s Park on Thursday, leaders from the Nishnawbe Aski Nation and other First Nations denounced the bill, which aims to accelerate development projects, particularly mining, by designating “special economic zones” exempt from many provincial and municipal regulations.
Rudy Turtle, former chief of Grassy Narrows First Nation and chair of the First Nations Land Defence Alliance, was firm in his opposition. “We’re not going to back down,” he said. “This is about defending the land, protecting the environment, and making sure development is done right, with proper consultation.”
The Ring of Fire, located in northwestern Ontario, holds vast mineral deposits vital to the electric vehicle industry. Since 2022, more than 40,000 mining claims have been registered there — a 60 percent increase, according to the Wildlands League. Bill 5 could fast-track those claims, sparking fears among Indigenous leaders that their voices and environmental concerns will be pushed aside.
Introduced by Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce, Bill 5, formally called the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, would also replace the Endangered Species Act with a new Species Conservation Act, revoke development-related regulations, and amend nearly a dozen existing laws. The government insists the changes will maintain environmental standards while speeding up infrastructure projects needed to counter global economic instability and tariff threats.
But critics see it differently.
“This bill is very colonial, very oppressive,” said NDP MPP Sol Mamakwa, a member of Kingfisher Lake First Nation. “It tramples on Aboriginal and Treaty rights under the guise of economic reconciliation.”
During a standing committee meeting on Thursday, Indigenous representatives from across the province — including leaders from Sandy Lake, Neskantaga, and Anishinabek Nation — voiced their objections. Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler said the legislation aims to “fast-track development in our territories” while “eliminating red tape really means eliminating our rights.”
For communities like Grassy Narrows, which continues to suffer from mercury poisoning caused by industrial pollution decades ago, the environmental stakes are especially high. Turtle warned that repealing the Endangered Species Act could lead to irreversible ecological damage, noting how the removal of wolves from Yellowstone once disrupted its ecosystem for years.
Environmental groups also criticized the proposed Species Conservation Act, calling it a hollow replacement that weakens habitat protections and strips key conservation requirements. Wildlands League’s Anna Baggio said the bill would allow harmful development as long as proponents register in advance.
Although the government has pledged to quadruple species protection funding to $20 million per year, First Nations remain unconvinced. Several Treaty 9 communities have already taken legal action over existing land-use practices, and three have vowed to challenge Bill 5 in court if it passes.
A final public hearing is scheduled for Monday, with the bill expected to move to its third reading in early June before the legislature breaks for the summer. Indigenous leaders say they’ll continue to fight the legislation in the courts, and on the ground, to defend their lands, rights, and the environment.
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