Ontario insists it will consult with First Nations on controversial mining bill
TORONTO – Ontario is insisting it will consult with First Nations over a proposed bill that would suspend provincial and municipal laws in areas it designates as so-called special economic zones.
But many First Nations across the province are livid with the government over the proposed law, known as Bill 5, which is being studied at committee on Thursday.
The province says it intends to declare the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario as one such zone.
Energy and Mining Minister Stephen Lecce says the province is rewriting the law's preamble to clarify and reinforce the province's constitutional duty to consult with Indigenous people.
New Democrat deputy Leader Sol Mamakwa says the province has failed in its duty to consult.
Mamakwa tabled a motion to add one day of committee hearings in Thunder Bay, Ont., to allow those from northern Ontario to give their opinions on the bill, but the Progressive Conservatives denied it.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 22, 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Observer
an hour ago
- National Observer
Ford government to open public clean energy fund to support nuclear power
The Ford government introduced legislation Tuesday that would open Ontario's public clean energy fund to support nuclear power — a move critics say redirects resources away from faster, cheaper renewable options such as wind and solar. The Protect Ontario by Securing Affordable Energy for Generations Act proposes expanding eligibility for the Future Clean Electricity Fund (FCEF) to include nuclear generation and transmission infrastructure. The fund was originally created to support the development of new non-fossil fuel electricity projects in Ontario, using proceeds from the sale of clean energy credits. These credits are generated by wind, solar, hydro, bioenergy and nuclear facilities and sold to businesses seeking to meet corporate sustainability targets. Revenue from those sales flows into the FCEF to help fund future clean energy projects. Until now, the fund has focused on renewable energy. But under the new legislation, the government plans to expand its eligibility to include nuclear generation and transmission infrastructure — a shift the province says is necessary to meet soaring electricity demand. Ontario's Minister of Energy and Mines, Stephen Lecce, said the legislation aims to address rising demand and economic uncertainty by prioritizing local investment and job creation amid global competition and trade tensions with the US. 'As global competition intensifies, energy demand surges, and affordability becomes more important than ever, Ontario isn't standing still — we're stepping up,' Lecce said. The province expects electricity demand to rise 75 per cent by 2050. Critics argue the province is backing the wrong solution, pointing to nuclear projects as expensive and much slower to complete. The Ford government introduced legislation Tuesday that would open Ontario's public clean energy fund to support nuclear power — a move critics say redirects resources away from faster, cheaper renewable options such as wind and solar. 'The Ford government's nuclear plans do not make sense since they will raise our electricity rates and make our industries less competitive,' said Jack Gibbons, chair of the Ontario Clean Air Alliance. 'Unfortunately, the Ford government continues to prioritize fossil fuels and nuclear energy. Their decisions don't make sense for consumers, the climate or national security.' In recent months, the Ford government has announced billions in investment for new nuclear power generation and refurbishing existing plants. The province says these investments will create tens of thousands of jobs in the sector. Early this year, the government announced plans for a 21st-century nuclear megaproject at Port Hope, aiming to establish Ontario as North America's nuclear powerhouse. Described as one of the largest nuclear plants in the world, the project is expected to generate up to 10,000 megawatts of electricity — enough to power 10 million homes. However, the government has yet to disclose the total cost or timeline. But a new report released Wednesday by the Ontario Clean Air Alliance suggests wind and solar could meet the same energy needs much sooner and at a much lower cost — potentially saving Ontario up to $19 billion annually in electricity costs. The report also highlights Ontario's potential for offshore wind development in the Great Lakes and large-scale solar at the Port Hope site. It argues that renewables, paired with energy storage and stronger grid connections with provinces like Quebec, would offer cleaner, faster and cheaper solutions than building a massive nuclear plant that may not be ready until 2045. Gibbons warned that expanding nuclear power would deepen Ontario's reliance on US nuclear technology and enriched uranium fuel, exposing the province to geopolitical risks at a time when trade tensions with the US are escalating.
National Observer
an hour ago
- National Observer
Reining in oil and gas is good for the economy
In biophysical terms, the oil and gas sector has expanded to the point of dominating the Canadian economy. The raw material extracted from nature by the oil and gas industry now outweighs all other domestic extraction of natural resources. This includes trees felled, ores mined, fish caught, gravel quarried, livestock slaughtered, coal mined and crops harvested. When burned, Canadian oil and gas emit well over a billion tonnes per year of climate-wrecking carbon dioxide. In sharp contrast to its biophysical dominance, oil and gas extraction provides only 0.4 per cent of Canadian jobs, and indeed only 16 per cent of jobs among extractive sectors. Moreover, most Canadian fossil fuel energy gets exported rather than consumed domestically. Even if domestic production of oil fell by nearly two thirds, and gas by more than a third, it would still be enough for current levels of domestic consumption. When Canada finally starts keeping, rather than breaking, its commitments to reduce fossil fuel use and thus greenhouse gas emissions, still less oil and gas will suffice for domestic consumption. Over the past 10 years, the governing Liberals promoted the biophysical takeover of the economy by oil and gas, largely through aggressive support of pipelines. They spent $50 billion buying, enlarging, and otherwise bolstering, the unmarketable Trans Mountain Pipeline. They sicced the RCMP on people defending Indigenous land against the Coastal Gas Link. And they launched a treaty dispute with the US to stifle tribal and state governments acting to shut down Enbridge Line 5. These actions have done tremendous harm to Canadian ecosystems and the global atmosphere. Liberal support for oil and gas has also hurt the Canadian economy. On average, other economic sectors sustain more than eight times more jobs per million dollars of GDP than oil and gas extraction does. Public and private investment in oil and gas crowds out investment in these other sectors, thus killing off jobs. By locking in fossil fuel, oil and gas investments lock out what we need more of, for both ecological and economic reasons. This includes solar energy, green buildings, mass transit and ecosystem restoration, all of which would create more jobs. At this week's meeting with premiers, Prime Minister Carney showed disturbing signs of caving in further to oil and gas. Instead, he must stop the industry's all-out assault on the biosphere. This means ending fossil fuel subsidies, rather than augmenting them, as the Liberals have in the past. And it means rejecting new pipelines and phasing out old ones, rather than proliferating them, as the Liberals have in the past. Humanity and nature urgently need our new government to finally set the Canadian economy on a more ethical and prosperous course away from oil and gas. Gregory M. Mikkelson, co-founder, Cross Border Organizing Working Group, As a tenured professor of environmental studies, Greg Mikkelson lectured and published in ecology, philosophy, and economics, with a focus on the nature, causes, and value of biological diversity. He also helped divest McGill University from fossil fuels. Having left academia, he now volunteers as a researcher and organizer for a growing international movement to shut down tar sands pipelines in the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence watershed.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
In the news today: Steelmakers urge Ottawa to match Trump tariffs
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed… Steel firms, workers to meet with MPs in Ottawa urging tariff action against U.S. Canadian steel companies and union workers are meeting with members of Parliament today with the hopes of convincing Ottawa to punch back at U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff hike. Industry and labour groups, along with Ontario Premier Doug Ford, are all calling on the federal government to quickly implement matching tariffs to retaliate against the U.S. Trump doubled his duties on steel and aluminum products on Wednesday from 25 to 50 per cent — what amounts to a massive threat to Canadian industry. Prime Minister Mark Carney says his government will need to take 'some time' to craft a response to the increased U.S. tariffs. A quarter of Canadians view U.S. as 'enemy': Poll Faced with a trade war they didn't start, Canadians are divided on whether they see the United States as an 'enemy' or an 'ally,' a new poll suggests. The Leger poll, which was conducted online and can't be assigned a margin of error, surveyed more than 1,500 people between May 30 and June 1. Almost a third of respondents said they view the U.S. as a 'neutral country,' while 27 per cent said they consider it an 'ally' and 26 per cent see it as an 'enemy country.' Just over a third of men said they consider the U.S. an ally, compared with one in five women. Older Canadians, those at least 55 years of age, were more likely to consider the U.S. an enemy than younger Canadians. Here's what else we're watching… Canadians held in Syria pursue rights complaints A dozen Canadian men and children detained in Syria are complaining to the Canadian Human Rights Commission that Ottawa is discriminating against them by not assisting their return to Canada. The Canadians are among the foreign nationals who have endured squalid and dangerous conditions for years in camps and prisons run by Kurdish forces that reclaimed the war-ravaged region from militants. Some Canadian women and children have been repatriated with help from Canadian officials and the co-operation of Kurdish authorities. There are 12 complainants in the human rights commission case — five Canadian men and seven children aged five to 12. More than 2,200 Ontarians died of opioids in 2024 New data from the Office of the Chief Coroner shows that more than 2,200 Ontarians died from opioids last year, a 15 per cent decrease from 2023. Chief coroner Dirk Huyer says the decline gives him a 'small degree of optimism,' but he worries that the numbers could potentially get worse again. His office had recorded 2,639 opioid deaths in 2023. The mortality rate from opioid overdoses was 14.3 deaths per 100,000 people in 2024. Fentanyl and its related substances were found in more than 83 per cent of opioid toxicity deaths last year. Habitat probe as B.C. First Nation builds island A First Nation has built a small artificial island in Coles Bay off Vancouver Island, triggering an investigation into potential habitat destruction and whether the work was authorized. The Department of Fisheries says its officers are assessing whether the Pauquachin First Nation needed permission to construct the island, which is part of a plan to build a clam garden in the shallows of the bay. Excavators and dump trucks were involved in building the island over several days last week, hauling loads of rock into the tidal waters. North Saanich resident Richard Smith watched the construction and says he's concerned about the state of the ocean floor. Montreal hopes for better Grand Prix weekend Montreal is hoping to redeem itself during the upcoming Grand Prix weekend after last year's event became a source of embarrassment. The city says it's taking steps to improve access to the Formula 1 site on a man-made island and to reduce congestion during the event, which begins June 13. The Montreal fire department also says it's working with restaurant owners to ensure they're ready for the influx of tourists. Fire inspectors caused an uproar last year when they abruptly ordered some restaurants to close their patios on one of the busiest evenings of the year. The 2024 Grand Prix weekend was also marred by flooding at the race site, traffic headaches and miscommunication. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2025.
