Ontario Politics 2.0 | By NetNewsLedger Political Bureau
TORONTO – June 5, 2025 — Premier Doug Ford’s majority government has rammed through Bill 5, the “Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act”, legislation that fast-tracks mining and infrastructure development — particularly in the Ring of Fire region of northwestern Ontario — despite fierce opposition from Indigenous leaders, environmental groups, and opposition parties.
The legislation, passed just days before the Ontario Legislature rises for summer recess, creates “special economic zones” where local planning rules, environmental regulations, and even provincial laws can be bypassed to expedite major development projects.
Premier Ford: “We need to get moving”
Facing new tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump, Ford’s government says Ontario must speed up extraction of critical minerals for the electric vehicle and defense sectors or risk being left behind in a high-stakes global race.
“We aren’t going to sit back and wait 15 years to get shovels in the ground while the whole world is eating our lunch,” said Ford. “We need to get moving, folks.”
Ford argues that fast-tracking development in Ontario’s north will boost the economy and bring long-needed jobs to remote Indigenous communities, many of which face high unemployment and poverty. He also promised summer consultations and Indigenous-led economic zones to “ensure no one is left behind.”
Indigenous Leaders: “You will be met by our people on the ground”
But for First Nations leaders and land defenders in the northwest, the passage of Bill 5 is a blunt-force legislative attack on their rights, lands, and waters.
“You cannot legislatively bulldoze your way through our lands,” said MPP Sol Mamakwa (Kiiwetinoong), standing alongside leaders from Nishnawbe Aski Nation and Neskantaga First Nation. “This is not the wild, wild west. You will not ‘special economic zone’ our lands. Period.”
Chris Moonias, former Chief of Neskantaga, vowed resistance across all fronts:
“We’ll oppose it in public, we’ll oppose it in the media, we’ll oppose it in the boardrooms, we’ll oppose it in courts, and if need be, we’ll oppose it on the land and the rivers. We’ll be there.”
Their concerns are echoed by Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler, who earlier warned Premier Ford, “You will be met by our people on the ground.”
A Divided Legislature, and a Divisive Law
Opposition parties pushed procedural delays at the committee stage in a last-ditch effort to block the bill. Proposed amendments aimed at addressing Indigenous and environmental concerns were discarded during the rush to meet legislative deadlines.
“The premier likes to say he’s not afraid to admit when he’s wrong,” said NDP Leader Marit Stiles, referencing Ford’s reversal on the Greenbelt development plans. “Well, he is very wrong with this one.”
Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie acknowledged that streamlining permits has merit but criticized the bill for “creating so much division and opposition in the province.”
Green Leader Mike Schreiner denounced the legislation’s threat to endangered species and treaty rights.
“Cutting red tape, not corners”: Ford Government
Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli defended Bill 5, calling it the tool Ontario needs to accelerate project approvals from 15 years to just two.
“These special economic zones are all about cutting unnecessary red tape, not cutting corners,” Fedeli said, emphasizing global investor interest in Ontario’s mineral-rich north.
Ford warned protesters against potential blockades or actions that would “break the law,” stating it would be up to the OPP or local police to respond.
“You can’t break the law, simple as that,” he said. “I don’t direct the police.”
What’s Next?
The Ford government says consultations with Indigenous communities will begin this summer. Critics argue those discussions should have happened before the legislation was introduced.
With legal challenges expected and Indigenous groups pledging civil resistance, Bill 5 may have been passed — but the political and legal battle over Ontario’s northern lands is just beginning.
