Ford’s government is quietly advancing Bill 5, legislation that would repeal Ontario’s nearly 20-year-old Endangered Species Act. If passed, the bill would roll back decades of conservation progress, placing countless vulnerable species at greater risk and further undermining Canada’s already faltering biodiversity commitments. 

Doug Ford’s government is quietly pushing a bill that would dismantle decades’ worth of environmental protection in Ontario, putting countless species at greater risk and undermining Canada’s global biodiversity commitments – which the country is already lagging behind on. Bill 5 would repeal Ontario’s Endangered Species Act, a cornerstone of environmental legislation for nearly 20 years, protecting at-risk species and the ecosystems they rely on. 

Losing Habitat, Recovery, Accountability and Much More

A developer’s dream and a disaster to the planet, the proposed Species Conservation Act, in its misleading language, removes the concept of recovery, first and foremost, among many other troubling provisions. Rather than trying to restore endangered species to healthy, sustainable populations, simply put, it aims to keep them from disappearing too quickly. This is an extinction sentence for Canada’s ecology, making survival optional and recovery (the idea that we don’t just pause extinction, but reverse it) irrelevant. To make matters worse, Bill 5 also redefines “habitat” to exclude wider critical ecosystems (e.g., forests, wetlands, meadows, migratory routes), reducing it to the den, nest, or immediate area around it. 

But, perhaps the most alarming part of Bill 5 is the Special Economic Zones Act, which grants Cabinet sweeping powers to override provincial and municipal laws, including environmental, planning and Indigenous consultation rules, for designated areas. Currently, developers must obtain permits when projects affect species or habitats. In the process, the projects are reviewed by scientists and experts, and often require mitigation efforts. Instead, Bill 5 introduces a system where developers can submit an online registration form and then immediately start development, bulldozing sensitive areas, killing wildlife, and fragmenting habitats in the process, without environmental review.

This is not science-based policy. If passed, Bill 5 erases accountability and transparency, and the obligation to consider alternatives, while also failing to recognize constitutional rights of Indigenous people and the urgency to protect biodiversity. This is political interest disguised as “conservation.” 

What does it mean for 30×30?

Canada is a signatory to the 30×30 agreement, a global commitment to protect 30% of land and water by 2030 in order to halt biodiversity loss and combat climate change. Ontario’s ecosystems are species-rich habitats and are a critical part of achieving that goal. Bill 5 moves us in the opposite direction. If passed, it would leave much of Ontario lands vulnerable to unregulated industrial development.. So how then, can Canada meet its global environmental obligations when one of the largest provinces is removing protections?

At a time when political leaders (notably our neighbours to the south) are making many backwards decisions, these latest actions only add fuel to a new wave of unprecedented rollbacks in environmental protection. This time, jeopardizing Ontario’s biodiversity, national ecosystems, and Canada’s international climate commitments.

There is a narrow window to stop Bill 5. The public comment period ends May 17.

Here’s how to help:

Quick action forms to sign your name and submit your comments directly to the Ontario Government: 

• Eco Justice: Tell Doug Ford Ontario’s Wildlife Isn’t for Sale
• Ontario Nature: Endangered Species Act Petition
• Environmental Registry of Ontario: Proposed interim changes to the Endangered Species Act Comment Section

Use your voice on social media:  Tag your MPP. Use the hashtags #StopBill5, #ProtectNature, and #30×30

Talk to your community: Share this news with environmental groups, neighbours, friends and family, and your local media.

Like what you’re reading? Sign up for NET’s mailing list to receive updates on all things biodiversity.