Ontario Backs Down on Key Bill 5 Provisions, Echoes BC’s Mining Debate
Ontario’s Conservative provincial government is retreating from elements of its controversial Bill 5 following weeks of intense pressure from First Nations leaders.
They have accused Premier Doug Ford’s administration of violating its constitutional duty to consult Indigenous communities on critical minerals development in the province’s far north.
In a move aimed at quelling growing unrest, Ford’s office confirmed on Wednesday (May 28) that it will introduce an amendment that explicitly incorporates the constitutional duty to consult into the bill, a key demand from Indigenous leaders who have denounced the legislation as a sweeping overreach that sidelines their rights.
“Regulations under this Act shall be made in a manner consistent with the recognition and affirmation of existing Aboriginal and treaty rights … including the duty to consult,” reads the proposed amendment, as reported by CBC.
The about-face comes amid an intensifying confrontation over the province’s push to fast track mining development in the mineral-rich Ring of Fire region, located in the James Bay lowlands.
Slated to become the first of several “special economic zones” — areas exempt from certain provincial laws and regulations — it has instead become the flashpoint for a broader reckoning over resource extraction in Canada.
Government scrambles to contain fallout
First Nations leaders, including the Chiefs of Ontario, have demanded the bill be scrapped entirely, arguing the government has already breached its legal obligation to engage in meaningful consultation from the outset.
Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict, who met privately with Ford last week, described the discussions as frank, but necessary. That meeting, according to the provincial government, catalyzed a round of renewed engagement, with Greg Rickford, minister of Indigenous affairs, and Stephen Lecce, minister of energy and mines, pledging not to move forward with the Ring of Fire designation without further consultation.
“We will not use the authorities like a special economic zone until we’ve meaningfully consulted,” Lecce said.
Rickford added, “We are going to enunciate explicitly in each one that the duty to consult is there and it will be upheld to the highest standards. The aim is to make First Nations partners.”
Officially titled the “Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act”, Bill 5 was unveiled at the Toronto Stock Exchange in April, with Ford and Lecce framing it as a decisive response to geopolitical tensions.
They also positioned it as a means of asserting control over Canada’s critical mineral resources.
“With President Trump taking direct aim at our economy, it cannot be business as usual,” Ford said at the time, referencing the US push to prioritize domestic mineral supply chains.
The bill grants the province sweeping new powers to revoke mining claims, restrict foreign ownership —…
