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WCS Canada Comment: Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025 (Environmental Registry of Ontario)

O'Connor, C., Farrell, C., Kirkwood, A., Palmer, L. & Ray, J.

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Our comments to the Ontario Environmental Registry regarding Bill 5: Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025

Key points

We convey our overarching concern that Bill 5 and Schedules 2, 5, 7, 9 and 10 will have serious negative impacts for ecosystems and people in Ontario and that these proposals, collectively, are not in the public good. We strongly urge that Bill 5 and these Schedules are immediately withdrawn to avoid consolidation of power to the Province and negative impacts on the environment, Indigenous Rights and the overall democratic process.

We stress the following specific concerns about the five Schedules:

• Schedule 2, proposed repeal of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Schedule 10, proposed Species Conservation Act (SCA): The proposed interim changes to the ESA (Schedule 2), and its eventual repeal and replacement by the SCA (Schedule 10), would make species protections so extraordinarily weak that the proposed new Act would be effectively meaningless.
• Schedule 5, proposed changes to the Mining Act: The proposed changes are ambiguous around how the Mining Lands Administration System would be controlled and how prospector’s licences would be issued, posing the risk that there would be reduced transparency for mineral exploration, and exacerbation of existing issues with the mineral claims system, including lack of consultation with Indigenous Peoples.
• Schedule 7, proposed amendments to the Ontario Heritage Act: The proposed amendments would create a serious risk for archeological sites that may no longer be assessed prior to developments.
• Schedule 9, proposed Special Economic Zones (SEZ) Act: The proposed Act that lacks any stated purpose or conditions and the Special Economic Zones that it would enable is a blatant endorsement of the Province’s support for fast-tracking the interests of select "trusted proponents" and projects that it unilaterally designates through exemptions to all existing laws.

Recommended citation

O'Connor, C., Farrell, C., Kirkwood, A., Palmer, L. & Ray, J. (2025). WCS Canada Comment: Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025 (Environmental Registry of Ontario). Wildlife Conservation Society Canada [WCS Canada]. https://wcscanada.org/resources/wcs-canada-comment-protect-ontario-by-unleashing-our-economy-act-2025-environmental-registry-of-ontario/