Ask anyone why they live or stay in Northern Ontario, and they’ll talk about the land. The quiet of the lakes. The scent of pine after rain. The rhythm of the seasons. There’s something sacred here.
But let’s be honest: That deep connection many of us feel is only possible because of the ongoing care and stewardship of Indigenous Peoples. This land was never empty. It has always been Indigenous land.
And right now, the Ford government is disregarding that truth … again.
Bill 5: The Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act is the most dangerous legislation this province has seen in years. Beneath its vague, bureaucratic language lies a devastating agenda: dismantling environmental protections, suspending labour standards and silencing public consultation to fast-track industrial development.
It repeals the Endangered Species Act. It creates “Special Economic Zones” where environmental and labour laws can be ignored. It violates the constitutional Duty to Consult Indigenous Peoples, reducing meaningful consultation to a checkbox after deals are already in motion.
Make no mistake. Notification is not consultation.
First Nations across Treaty 9, Robinson Huron, and Williams Treaties territories have said this bill breaches their inherent and treaty rights. These are not symbolic objections. These are legal and moral violations.
The government insists this is about jobs. But jobs created without consent, without safeguards, and with no accountability to the communities they impact are not good jobs; they’re political bargaining chips dressed up as opportunity.
There is nothing “pro-economy” about short-term profits that leave us with polluted water, gutted labour protections and communities locked out of decisions that affect their future.
Northern Ontario has lived this before. The poisoned waters of Grassy Narrows. The flooded traplines from hydro projects. The contaminated tailings ponds of mining towns like Timmins and Cobalt. Northern Ontario knows what it costs when communities are left out of decisions.
I’ve studied and practiced civic dialogue and engagement for almost 15 years. What’s happening now fails every standard of transparency, justice and accountability that our public institutions, and those of us who work within or alongside them, claim to uphold.
Let me say it plainly: Bill 5 is an assault on community power, ecological integrity, and democratic process.
And yet, instead of listening, Queen’s Park is shutting voices down. On June 2, MPP Sol Mamakwa, one of the only Indigenous members in the legislature, was ejected for calling out the government’s “untruths” about Bill 5. If that doesn’t unsettle you, it should.
If we say we love this land, we need to love it enough to protect it, and to listen to those who have always known how.
Bill 5 isn’t a path forward. It’s a threat to everything we say we value. And I refuse to stay silent.
Cristin Talentino
North Bay