Doug Ford and Stephen Lecce's Bill 5 Bulldozes Wildlife Protections Across Ontario

Ontario’s government is proposing Bill 5: Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025, which includes a complete repeal of the Endangered Species Act, 2007 and replaces it with the Species Conservation Act, 2025.

It's a Bait-and-switch!

While marketed as a conservation measure, Bill 5 is designed to strip away environmental protections that stand in the way of projects like Highway 413, the proposed Dresden Dump Site and the Quarry Expansion at Mount Nemo. By giving ministers more power and creating “pay-to-destroy” loopholes, the Ford government is dismantling science-based species protections — all while claiming it’s just streamlining development.

Bill 5 Official Petition

This change would:

Eliminate automatic protection for endangered species
Narrow what counts as critical habitat (excluding breeding grounds, feeding areas, and migration routes)
Allows developers to destroy critical habitat if they pay into a fund later — a dangerous "pay-to-destroy" loophole with no guaranteed benefit to wildlife.
Remove requirements for recovery plans
Hand broad decision-making power to a single minister
Prioritize development in so-called “economic zones” over biodiversity protection

❌ What Bill 5 Really Does

Strips away proven protections and replaces them with vague promises and political discretion

Bill 5 is being promoted as an update to help species and streamline conservation — but what it actually does is remove the very tools that make species protection effective and enforceable.

Repeals the Endangered Species Act, Ontario’s strongest biodiversity law
Gives cabinet ministers the power to ignore scientific advice on which species deserve protection
Eliminates mandatory recovery strategies for species at risk
Narrows the definition of protected habitat, leaving out critical areas like feeding grounds and migration routes
Allows development to proceed through “pay-to-destroy” offsets with no requirement to restore or replace what’s lost
Removes transparency and public input, reducing accountability for decisions that affect future generations

💸 “Pay-to-Destroy” Habitat?

One of the most troubling parts of Bill 5 is its expansion of biodiversity offsetting — allowing developers to damage or destroy critical habitats if they pay into a fund after the fact.

This means:

Developers may proceed with harmful projects without restoring the habitat or protecting it elsewhere first.
There’s no guarantee that the species affected will ever recover or benefit from the compensation.
Sensitive ecosystems — once gone — can’t simply be replaced with money.

This shift from “protect first” to “pay later” removes key safeguards that the Endangered Species Act provided, and puts Ontario’s rarest plants and animals at greater risk.

You can’t rebuild a vernal pool or replant a 100-year-old oak overnight. Some habitats are irreplaceable — and that’s why they need real protection, not compensation.

🏗️ Projects Fast-Tracked by Bill 5

Bill 5 could accelerate environmentally harmful projects across Ontario by weakening protections and oversight

Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025, proposes significant changes to environmental regulations, potentially fast-tracking several controversial projects:

Highway 413: A proposed 52-kilometre highway through the Greenbelt, threatening habitats of at least 29 species at risk, including the redside dace. The project could proceed with reduced environmental assessments under Bill 5. The Pointer
Bradford Bypass: A planned 16.2-kilometre freeway connecting Highways 400 and 404, potentially impacting wetlands and the Holland Marsh. Bill 5 could streamline approvals, bypassing thorough environmental evaluations. Wikipedia
Mount Nemo Quarry Expansion: An expansion of the Nelson Quarry in Burlington, threatening habitats of species like the Jefferson salamander. Bill 5's provisions may ease restrictions, facilitating the project's advancement.
Dresden Landfill Site: A proposal to reactivate and expand a landfill near the Sydenham River, raising concerns about water contamination and ecological damage. Bill 5 could remove the requirement for comprehensive environmental assessments. Environmental Defence
Ring of Fire Mining Projects: Development of mineral extraction projects in Northern Ontario, potentially affecting sensitive ecosystems. Bill 5 aims to expedite such projects by simplifying approval processes.

🌎 Why this matters to Halton

🦎 Jefferson Salamander

An endangered species that migrates each spring through parts of the Niagara Escarpment. Local roads like King Road are closed annually to help protect them — but under the proposed legislation, vital habitats like these may lose protection.

🦋 Monarch Butterflies

These iconic pollinators depend on native milkweed and other plants increasingly threatened by development. Without mandated recovery strategies or habitat safeguards, their survival in Ontario is at greater risk.

🦢 Trumpeter Swans at LaSalle Park

Once extirpated in Ontario, their return is fragile. Habitat loss could easily reverse this progress.

📢
How You Can Help

FAQ

✅ Contact Your MPP

Tell your local representative that you oppose Schedule 12 of Bill 5. Ask them to support science-based protections for Ontario’s species at risk. Find your MPP

✅ Leave a Public Comment (Before May 17!)

Use the Environmental Registry to share your opposition. Comments are reviewed before Bill 5 becomes law.
Submit your comment

✅ Share this page with your community!

Spread the word and share you concerns with your friends, neighbors and family!

✍️
Want to do more?

Did you know? Online petitions cannot be submitted to the Ontario Legislative Assembly? Petitions must be physically delivered to an MPP who will sponsor the petition and present it to the House of Commons.

We're created a physical petition to present to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. It has been sponsored by the below MPPs.

Ted Hsu, MPP, Liberal Party - Kingston and the Islands
Jamie West, MPP, NDP - Sudbury
Peter Tabuns, MPP, NDP - Toronto—Danforth
Alexa Gilmour, MPP, NDP - Parkdale—High Park
Peggy Sattler, MPP, NDP - London West
Mary-Margaret McMahon, MPP, Liberal Party -Beaches—East York
Guy Bourgouin, MPP, NDP - Mushkegowuk—James Bay
Bobbi Ann Brady, MPP, Independent - Haldimand—Norfolk
John Fraser, MPP, Liberal Party - Ottawa South
Adil Shamji, MPP, Liberal Party - Don Valley East

al Party - Don Valley East

Together, we can grow native, protect local species, and hold our leaders accountable.