In the Speech from the Throne, the Ford government once again promised to expedite mineral development in the area that mining companies are calling the Ring of Fire in the far north of the province. It then followed up before the Easter long weekend with Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025.
This bill leans hard into the rhetoric of the need to slash laws governing everything from endangered species protections to resource development in a way that promises plenty of chaos — and not much clarity — as everyone from First Nations to businesses tries to sort through its far-reaching implications.
Calls to speed up project approvals reflect real frustration with how slow, siloed and unco-ordinated current systems have become. But the answer isn’t to cut corners — it’s to plan smarter. If development rarely caused long-term harm, we might be able to afford to be more relaxed. But that’s not the reality.
For the rest of this column: https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/lets-judge-ontarios-mineral-development-by-what-is-protected-not-just-extracted/article_78611eab-1649-4428-adc7-1778b98a6d0f.html