Steps backwards for conservation in Ontario

On World Environment Day, we are disheartened to see Bill 5 pass into law in Ontario.

Today (June 5th 2025) is World Environment Day a time to come together around shared solutions to the global biodiversity crisis. Instead, Ontario has chosen this moment to pass Bill 5.

This omnibus legislation is sweeping in scope, with serious implications for species at risk, Indigenous rights, and evidence-based decision-making. It was passed after a brief and largely performative consultation process, despite mounting public and expert opposition.

We are disheartened to see the government advance this agenda - prioritizing short-term, narrow economic interests over ecological integrity, Indigenous leadership, and the public interest. The replacement of the Endangered Species Act with a much weaker framework effectively jettisons over 15 years of work in species protection, and contradicts Ontario’s stated commitment to conservation.

As always, we will be monitoring the implementation of this legislation closely - tracking how these changes affect species, habitats, and the people working to protect them.