A behind-the-scenes look at Ontario’s attempt to gut species protections, fast-track industrial projects, and to silence Indigenous and public voices.
What’s really inside Bill 5?
On the eve of the long weekend, the Ontario government quietly tabled Bill 5: the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act. The Bill would repeal the Endangered Species Act, leaving in its place a shell that contains no meaningful rules for species protection. The Bill would also hand virtually unlimited power to the Provincial Cabinet, through the proposed Special Economic Zones Act. Let’s be clear: Bill 5 is a threat to Ontario’s land, wildlife, and democracy.
Goodbye, Endangered Species Act. Hello, loopholes
For nearly 20 years, Ontario’s Endangered Species Act (ESA) has been a cornerstone of environmental protection. It requires that species at risk — and the habitats they rely on — be protected from harm. But Bill 5 would repeal the ESA and replace it with a weaker, hollowed-out, and Orwellian-named Species Conservation Act.
The Bill would remove “recovery” or ensuring the species is able to survive, with a stable population as a goal. The new Act is so narrow that it would virtually ensure continued decline, extinction, or extirpation.
Bill 5, if passed, would provide Cabinet the power to decide which species deserve protection, effectively making protection a political choice, not a scientific one.
The new law would define animal “habitat” to mean only the nest, den, or immediate area around it — not the forests, wetlands or feeding grounds they need to survive. Cabinet is allowed to further narrow that definition. This would leave species that are already in decline due to habitat loss, without the basic things they need to survive. The remaining landscape could resemble a moonscape without regulation. Even “harassment” of at-risk wildlife would be unregulated.
Permits replaced by clicks
Right now, developers must apply for permits when projects threaten species or their habitat. These are reviewed by environmental experts and come with requirements to reduce harm.
Under Bill 5, that process is replaced by an online registration form. Once a company clicks “submit,” they’re free to start building. This includes killing species and destroying the remaining protected areas like dens. No review, no obligation to consider safer alternatives. It’s a developer’s dream and an environmental nightmare.
This process leaves no clear path to accommodating the constitutional rights of Indigenous people or protecting biodiversity. The registry is not required to be public.
Unlike Bill 5, most other registration processes impose conditions for routine activities. This process does not, and it is for species and their habitats that are unique. While some permitting powers remain, it is not clear if they will be applied, and those powers are weak.
A threat to democracy
Bill 5 also contains the Special Economic Zones Act. This Act would provide Henry the 8th style dictatorial powers to the provincial Cabinet, allowing them to create law-free zones, where provincial and municipal laws do not apply. The same law-free status could be provided to any project or proponent. These virtually unlimited powers are without any checks or balances.
These “Special Economic Zones” when used elsewhere, usually in dictatorships, have often failed to meet their economic goals and have caused significant social, human rights and environmental damage. This move is a staggering affront to Indigenous rights. Dirty industries, flawed projects, and close cronies are already lining up to take advantage.
Scapegoating species and the environment to distract from the trade war
The Ontario government is looking for a literal scapegoat to blame for Ontario’s lagging economy. Ford would not be the first to blame vulnerable wildlife who can’t speak for themselves for the problems of the day. But our most vulnerable species and ecosystems didn’t start the trade war and killing them won’t solve it. As our economic problems deepen, we must be vigilant to oppose this kind of targeting of our most vulnerable species and ecosystems, just as we must be vigilant to protect each other.
Becoming our enemies
Ontario is following the same divisive playbook used by U.S. President Trump, who on the same week moved to weaken the U.S. Endangered Species Act. We can’t defeat Trump’s crony capitalism by blatantly copying it. We must not discard our core values of building a just society with strong environmental protection whenever we are faced with new challenges. Unless we maintain those core values, we will become the enemies we seek to overcome.
What you can do
This bill is open for public comment until May 17. The Bill may pass well before this date. That gives us a narrow window to act.
Don’t let Ford bulldoze over science, rights, and nature without a fight.
📣 Use your voice. Submit your comment here:
👉 Act Now
Let’s tell this government: Ontario is not for sale. Our species, our water, and our future deserve better.
