Rally Against Ontario's Bill 5

On June 4, 2025, the Ontario government voted to pass Bill 5 which repeals Ontario’s Endangered Species Act and strips away vital protections for wildlife and habitat – all to make way for unchecked development and corporate profit.

But now the Act itself is at risk of becoming endangered. The Ontario Government tabled Bill 5 called “Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act.” Amidst reducing environmental and heritage protection and proposing Special Economic Zones to bypass any protective legislation, the Ontario Government is proposing to repeal the Ontario Endangered Species Act (ESA) and replace it with a new Species Conservation Act which offers less protection to species at risk.

• Elimination of habitat protections critical to the survival of species at risk. The proposed change would only protect a specific den, nest, or plant – not the larger ecosystems species depend on.
• Removal of recovery strategies and accountability mechanisms that ensure at-risk species receive coordinated efforts for recovery.
• Absence of oversight for development, allowing immediate destruction of species or habitats through online registration, with no permits, mitigation submission, or review required.
• Political discretion over species listings, enabling the potential for species to be removed from protection based on development pressure rather than scientific evidence.
• Removal of the prohibition on harassment, allowing activities that impede or indirectly harm a species to happen such as preventing nesting activity or frightening a species away from its habitat.
• Establishing Special Economic Zones to bypass environmental protection legislation altogether.