Indigenous leaders are warning that the bill could reignite ‘Idle No More’
The Ford government is working on amendments to a bill that Indigenous leaders have warned will reignite the “Idle No More” movement in Ontario if it is passed.
Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, would give cabinet the power to designate an area a “special economic zone,” and then exempt selected proponents and projects from requirements under any provincial law or regulation, including bylaws of municipalities and local boards, that would otherwise apply in that zone. Federal laws, like the Criminal Code, and Charter and treaty rights, cannot be waived, however.
The bill also proposes to speed up approvals for mining projects through a “one-window” approach, ends an environmental assessment for a controversial dump expansion in Dresden, Ont., replaces the province’s Endangered Species Act with legislation that environmental groups argue offers far weaker protections, and empowers cabinet to exempt projects from archeological assessment requirements — which Indigenous leaders have warned puts sacred sites at risk.
For the rest of this article: https://www.thetrillium.ca/news/indigenous-rural-and-northern-affairs/ford-government-to-amend-special-economic-zones-bill-minister-10711743