2 days ago
First Nations opposition continues after passing of Ontario's Bill 5
Many First Nations people in Ontario are continuing protests following the passing of Bill 5 in Ontario last week.
Bill 5, the Protecting Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, allows the province to create special economic zones, where companies or projects can be exempted from having to comply with a provincial law, provincial regulation or municipal bylaw.
Shem Mattinas, from Moose Cree First Nation on James Bay, was one of the organizers of a protest in Timmins, Ont., last Friday.
"This will affect all of us; it threatens our land, our water, and our democratic rights," he said.
"This isn't only a First Nations issue; it's an Ontario issue."
The premier has said one of those special economic zones will be the mineral-rich Ring of Fire region on Treaty 9 territory in northwestern Ontario.
"Attawapiskat River is right in the middle of the Ring of Fire. The First Nations along that river will be deeply affected by poisons and chemicals if this kind of development goes forward unchecked," Mattinas said.
Mattinas said it was important for him to organize a protest because he's always heard "when youth speak, that's when people listen."
The province has said the law is aimed at speeding up major infrastructure and resource projects. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Friday he intends to designate the Ring of Fire as a special economic zone "as quickly as possible." He added he and several ministers will consult all summer with First Nations about the new law before making the designation.
People also continue to rally at the provincial legislature at Queen's Park in Toronto.
Myka Burning from Six Nations of the Grand River said she will be one of the people maintaining a presence there.
She said those gathered are calling on Indigenous nations across the country to support them, not just Ontario, because of the law's widespread environmental implications but also because she believes it sets a precedent.
"I feel like there has been consistent voicing of opposition as it's been coming down like the pipes and that's just not being respected," she said.
Concern for caribou
Bill 5 also scraps Ontario's Endangered Species Act and replaces it with a new law called the Species Conservation Act, which critics say waters down protections.
Jennifer Franks, the director of Indigenous Relations at the Toronto Zoo, said there was "resounding disappointment" around the passing of Bill 5 with the zoo's Indigenous advisory circle.
Franks, who is Red River Métis from Birch Hills, Sask., said the zoo's mission is to "connect people, animals, traditional knowledge and conservation science to fight extinction," like the zoo's caribou biobanking project in the Hudson Bay region, where they help collect samples from hunted caribou for genetic preservation.
Caribou are traditionally hunted by the Cree and Anishinaabe who live in the Ring of Fire area. In Ontario, caribou is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Habitat loss and human activities are among the threats to the province's caribou.
Toronto Zoo CEO Dolf Dejong, who spoke out against the bill at a committee hearing at Queens Park in May, said he wasn't surprised the bill passed despite opposition and said he's concerned special economic zones could be designated anywhere, effectively undoing decades of work in conservation.
"They've been very clear that they intended to move quickly," he said.
