Ontario’s Bill 5: Economic Ambition Meet Constitutional Duty – The Inevitable Delays Arising from the Honour of the Crown and Environmental Integrity – JFK Law LLP

The Government of Ontario’s Bill 5, “Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025”[1] is an omnibus bill that will amend or repeal several pieces of legislation. For the purpose of this
post, we will briefly highlight some of the more concerning components of Bill 5 within the following areas of focus; Special Economic Zones (SEZs), the Ontario Mining Act Amendments (the Mining Act), Ontario Heritage Act (the Heritage Act) changes and the replacement of the Endangered Species Act (the ESA) with the Species Conservation Act (the SCA).

The stated purpose of this omnibus bill is to protect Ontario’s economy by streamlining development and expediting the permitting processes for mining and for infrastructure development projects that are deemed critical to protecting the mineral supply chain within the global economy.

The legislative strategy of omnibus bills to enact widespread changes is itself a point of concern. Such bills, which bundle numerous, often unrelated, legislative amendments into a single piece of legislation, can obscure the full impact of the proposed changes and limit important debate and scrutiny of individual components.[2] The Ontario government has utilized this approach in recent years to diminish or repeal important laws safeguarding the environment and public health and safety.[3] This pattern suggests a deliberate tactic to expediate a deregulatory agenda, while potentially limiting democratic oversight and public participation.

Read More: https://jfklaw.ca/ontarios-bill-5-economic-ambition-meet-constitutional-duty-the-inevitable-delays-arising-from-the-honour-of-the-crown-and-environmental-integrity/