First Nations opposition continues after passing of Ontario's Bill 5

Candace Maracle · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 11, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Many First Nations radical successful Ontario are continuing protests pursuing the passing of Bill 5 successful Ontario past week.

Bill 5, the Protecting Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, allows the province to make peculiar economical zones, wherever companies oregon projects tin beryllium exempted from having to comply with a provincial law, provincial regulation or municipal bylaw.

Shem Mattinas, from Moose Cree First Nation connected James Bay, was 1 of the organizers of a protest in Timmins, Ont., past Friday.

"This volition impact each of us; it threatens our land, our water, and our antiauthoritarian rights," helium said.

"This isn't lone a First Nations issue; it's an Ontario issue."

The premier has said 1 of those peculiar economical zones volition be the mineral-rich Ring of Fire region on Treaty 9 territory in northwestern Ontario. 

"Attawapiskat River is close successful the mediate of the Ring of Fire. The First Nations on that stream volition beryllium profoundly affected by poisons and chemicals if this benignant of improvement goes guardant unchecked," Mattinas said.

Mattinas said it was important for him to signifier a protestation due to the fact that he's ever heard "when younker speak, that's erstwhile radical listen."

The state has said the instrumentality is aimed astatine speeding up large infrastructure and assets projects. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Friday helium intends to designate the Ring of Fire arsenic a peculiar economical portion "as rapidly arsenic possible." He added helium and respective ministers volition consult each summertime with First Nations astir the caller law before making the designation.

People besides proceed to rally at the provincial legislature astatine Queen's Park in Toronto. 

Myka Burning from Six Nations of the Grand River said she volition beryllium 1 of the radical maintaining a beingness there.

She said those gathered are calling connected Indigenous nations crossed the state to enactment them, not conscionable Ontario, because of the law's wide biology implications but besides due to the fact that she believes it sets a precedent.

"I consciousness similar determination has been accordant voicing of absorption arsenic it's been coming down similar the pipes and that's conscionable not being respected," she said.

Concern for caribou

Bill 5 also scraps Ontario's Endangered Species Act and replaces it with a new instrumentality called the Species Conservation Act, which critics accidental waters down protections. 

Jennifer Franks, the manager of Indigenous Relations astatine the Toronto Zoo, said determination was "resounding disappointment" astir the passing of Bill 5 with the zoo's Indigenous advisory circle.

Franks, who is Red River Métis from Birch Hills, Sask., said the zoo's mission is to "connect people, animals, accepted cognition and conservation subject to combat extinction," similar the zoo's caribou biobanking task successful the Hudson Bay region, wherever they assistance cod samples from hunted caribou for genetic preservation.

Caribou are traditionally hunted by the Cree and Anishinaabe who unrecorded successful the Ring of Fire area. In Ontario, caribou is listed arsenic threatened nether the Endangered Species Act. Habitat nonaccomplishment and quality activities are among the threats to the province's caribou.

Toronto Zoo CEO Dolf Dejong, who spoke retired against the measure astatine a committee proceeding astatine Queens Park successful May, said helium wasn't amazed the measure passed contempt absorption and said he's acrophobic peculiar economical zones could beryllium designated anywhere, efficaciously undoing decades of enactment successful conservation.

"They've been precise wide that they intended to determination quickly," helium said.

"We request to marque definite we're moving rapidly successful appraisal and we recognize what's going connected with those populations due to the fact that we cognize immoderate of them tin beryllium precise precarious."