Bill 5's Special Economic Zones: A Threat to Indigenous Lands, Laws, and the Environment

Ontario’s Bill 5, formally known as the Protecting Ontario by Enabling Economic Growth Act, 2025, introduces the power to create Special Economic Zones (SEZs) — areas where the Province can override environmental laws, Indigenous rights, and local governance to accelerate industrial development. At Wahkohtowin, we are deeply concerned by the scope and implications of this legislation. It poses a serious threat to Indigenous lands, cultures, and sovereignty — particularly in Northern Ontario.

Community members gather at Queen’s Park to oppose Bill 5, standing strong against ongoing treaty violations and threats to Indigenous sovereignty.

What Are Special Economic Zones?

Under the Special Economic Zones Act, the Ford government can designate SEZs anywhere in Ontario to support what it calls “strategically important” development by “trusted proponents.” Within these zones, provincial laws and regulations — including those protecting species at risk, requiring environmental assessments, and safeguarding heritage sites — can be suspended or overridden [1].

What’s at Stake for Indigenous Communities

Legal experts and Indigenous leaders have raised alarms about the unprecedented legal powers this bill grants to the Province. According to lawyer and professor Dayna Scott, Bill 5 "guts Indigenous rights" by enabling the government to bypass consultation and consent requirements protected under Treaties and affirmed in Canadian law [2].

For Indigenous Peoples, this is not an abstract legal matter — it is about survival, sovereignty, and self-determination. The ability to make decisions about our own lands is not optional. It is rooted in Treaty relationships, constitutional rights, and international standards like the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

Yet Bill 5 allows large corporations and government agencies to move forward with major industrial projects without the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous Nations.

The Ring of Fire: A Real-Time Example

Nowhere are these concerns more immediate than in the Ring of Fire — a mineral-rich region in Northern Ontario and the traditional territory of several First Nations. Development proposals in the Ring of Fire include roads, mines, and energy infrastructure that could severely disrupt sensitive wetlands, boreal forest ecosystems, and the cultural practices of local Nations.

The government has already signaled interest in accelerating Ring of Fire development. With Bill 5, it could designate the area as a Special Economic Zone, fast-tracking projects while cutting out Indigenous voices and environmental safeguards [3].

Cultural and Ecological Consequences

Land in the North is not just territory — it is home, teacher, and relative. Indigenous communities depend on healthy ecosystems for food security, medicine, ceremony, language, and identity. Special Economic Zones ignore this reality and instead treat the land as an economic asset for extraction.

Moose, caribou, wolves, eagles, and countless other beings are already struggling under pressure from habitat fragmentation and climate change. Bill 5 would remove what few protections remain, further accelerating biodiversity loss.

Waterways, traplines, and cultural sites could be destroyed — without notice, without consultation, and without accountability.

Our ancestors fought to protect these lands. Our youth are rising to carry that responsibility forward. We will not stand by as laws are passed that silence our voices and sacrifice our homelands for corporate gain.

The land is not for sale. It is not a zone. It is our relative.

References

[1] StrategyCorp. (2025, May). Coming Soon to Ontario’s Growth Toolkit: Special Economic Zones. Retrieved from https://strategycorp.com/2025/05/coming-soon-to-ontarios-growth-toolkit-special-economic-zones/

[2] Law Times. (2025, May). Lawyer says Ontario’s Bill 5 with Special Economic Zones guts Indigenous rights. Retrieved from https://www.lawtimesnews.com/news/general/lawyer-says-ontarios-bill-5-with-special-economic-zones-guts-indigenous-rights/392668

[3] The Trillium. (2025, May). Special Economic Zones bill would let Ford government exempt any project from provincial laws. Retrieved from https://www.thetrillium.ca/news/energy-and-the-environment/special-economic-zones-bill-would-let-ford-government-exempt-any-project-from-provincial-laws-10539507

Written by: Sara Bilodeau