On June 4, 2025, the Ontario government pushed through Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, triggering one of the most sweeping rollbacks of environmental protection in the province’s history.
Bill 5 repeals the Endangered Species Act and replaces it with the misleadingly named Species Conservation Act — a law that abandons species recovery, sidelines science, and gives industry broad latitude to destroy habitat with little oversight. At the same time, the government has weakened environmental assessment rules and created “special economic zones” where long-standing protections can simply be set aside, concentrating decision-making power in political hands ...
On June 4, 2025, the Ontario government pushed through Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, triggering one of the most sweeping rollbacks of environmental protection in the province’s history.
Bill 5 repeals the Endangered Species Act and replaces it with the misleadingly named Species Conservation Act — a law that abandons species recovery, sidelines science, and gives industry broad latitude to destroy habitat with little oversight. At the same time, the government has weakened environmental assessment rules and created “special economic zones” where long-standing protections can simply be set aside, concentrating decision-making power in political hands rather than independent, science-based bodies.
The result is the deliberate dismantling of Ontario’s environmental governance framework, with serious consequences for wildlife, fresh water, clean air, Indigenous rights, and the natural systems that sustain our food and economy. Earthroots is calling on Premier Ford and Members of Provincial Parliament to repeal Bill 5 — add your voice and demand real protection for Ontario’s natural heritage.