Doug Ford's Bill 5 is now law in Ontario. Here's what happens next
AnalysisMike Crawley
| CBC News | Posted: June 8, 2025 8:00 AM | Last Updated: 3
hours ago
Cabinet has power to create 'special economic zones' where
projects can be exempted from provincial laws
Image | Ont-Debates 20250602
Caption: Several hundred Indigenous people protested Bill 5 on
the front lawn of Queen's Park last Monday. Many First Nations
leaders in Ontario say the bill violates their treaty rights.
(Cole Burston/The Canadian Press)
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Now that Ontario's controversial Bill 5 is law, all eyes are on
what Premier Doug Ford does with the new powers it gives his
government.
Bill 5, also called the Protecting Ontario by Unleashing Our
Economy Act, empowers the government (among other things) to
create special economic zones, where cabinet can exempt
companies or projects from having to comply with any provincial
law, provincial regulation or municipal bylaw.
Ford pitches Bill 5 as a way of shoring up Ontario's economy in
the face of Donald Trump's tariffs by speeding up major
infrastructure and resource projects.
Ford's officials insist the government won't exempt any company
in a special economic zone from Ontario's minimum wage rules or
other labour laws.
But the wide-open way the legislation is written would allow
cabinet to hand out exemptions from any law, whether labour,
environmental or operational.
Asked this week which laws he's considering overriding with
Bill 5 — and whether any laws are off the table for such
exemptions — Ford offered no specifics.
WATCH | Your quick guide to Bill 5:
Media Video | Breaking down the Ford government’s controversial
Bill 5
Caption: The Ford government has been receiving criticism from
Ontario’s opposition parties, as well as environmental and
Indigenous leaders on their controversial Bill 5. CBC’s Mike
Crawley breaks down what you need to know about the
legislation.
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"I just want to speed up the process," he said during a news
conference on Thursday, moments after Bill 5 received Royal
Assent, making it law.
Ford then talked of how long it takes for a mine to get into
production, an issue that is actually tackled in a different
part of Bill 5: revisions to the Mining Act designed to shorten
Ontario's approval process to two years from the current four
years.
Pressed again on which laws he would exempt companies from in
the special economic zones, Ford said every situation is
different.
Ford wants to move 'as quickly as possible'
"Let's see what companies come to the table, and depending on
how quickly we can get opportunities and jobs, we'll reveal
them," Ford said.
Ford wants Ontario's first special economic zone to be the Ring
of Fire mineral deposit, some 500 kilometres northeast of
Thunder Bay, in the heart of Treaty 9 territory. The area is
said to be full of so-called critical minerals, such as cobalt,
lithium and nickel, in high demand for the tech industry.
The premier said on Thursday that he wants to make the Ring of
Fire a special economic zone "as quickly as possible" but has
also said he won't do so without consulting with First Nations
Image | Ford Fedeli Lecce
Caption: Premier Doug Ford, centre, speaks with reporters at
Queen's Park alongside Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce,
left, and Economic Development and Jobs Minister Vic Fedeli.
(Mike Crawley/CBC)
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Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce says the province is
already "consulting meaningfully" with First Nations and will
continue to do so over the coming months.
"We're all going to be part of this endeavour to really listen
to those voices and help build a common vision for responsible
resource development that unlocks the bounty of the resource,
to change the lives of northerners and to ensure Indigenous
share in that bounty," Lecce said alongside Ford at Thursday's
news conference inside Queen's Park.
* Ontario to make Ring of Fire a special economic zone 'as
quickly as possible': Ford
* Special economic zones: the secret weapon in Doug Ford's
Bill 5
The skepticism from many First Nations leaders is palpable.
The Chiefs of Ontario invited Ford to attend their annual
assembly June 17 to 19 and sent Ford a message that his
attendance would mark the start of consultations on Bill 5.
"This legislation, introduced without prior consultation with
First Nations rights holders, raises serious concerns due to
its far-reaching implications on inherent Treaty rights and
community obligations to the land, waters, and wildlife," says
the invitation letter from Ontario Regional Chief Abram
Benedict.
The Chiefs of Ontario, the umbrella group representing more
than 130 First Nations across the province, are warning of
"resistance, on the ground, and in the courts" against Bill 5.
WATCH | What the 'duty to consult' First Nations means for
governments:
Media Video | What is a duty to consult — and how will it
affect Bill 5?
Caption: The Ontario government's controversial Bill 5 was
passed with no consultation with First Nations, whose treaty
lands are likely to be affected. Metro Morning spoke with an
Anishinaabe scholar at the University of Toronto about the
difference between a duty to consult and the "free, prior and
informed consent" of First Nations leaders.
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One thing to watch for in the months to come is whether the
provincial government's push to fast-track the Ring of Fire is
replicated by the federal government.
Ford put the Ring of Fire at the top of his list presented to
Prime Minister Mark Carney for consideration as a potential
nation-building project.
Ford calls Carney 'Santa Claus'
Carney asked all the premiers to come to last Monday's First
Ministers Meeting in Saskatoon with their ideas of projects
that would be "in the national interest," either by helping to
diversify the Canadian economy or to reach new export markets.
It's now up to Carney to decide which projects merit federal
backing, whether through fast-track approvals or funding.
Ford described Carney as Santa Claus for this approach. But to
make the metaphor accurate, it means Ford and his fellow
premiers have merely written their letters to Santa Claus, and
they now have to wait until Christmas comes to find out whether
Santa brings them what they asked for.
* Doug Ford's controversial Bill 5: Here's what you need to
know
* Liberals table bill to cut trade barriers, speed up
'nation-building' infrastructure
The other items on Ford's list are also projects that could be
designated special economic zones: new nuclear power plants, a
new deep-sea port on James Bay, Ford's vision of a tunnel under
Highway 401 through Toronto, and an expansion of the GO Transit
network.
If Carney endorses any of these, you can expect the Ford
government will use its Bill 5 powers to speed up the process
of moving that project from endorsement to reality.
On Friday, Carney's Liberals tabled a bill in the House of
Commons called the One Canadian Economy Act, designed in part
to speed up the approval process of major infrastructure
projects, a goal similar to Ontario's Bill 5.
Image | Carney-Ford -Premiers 20250602
Caption: Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, speaks with Ontario
Premier Doug Ford following the First Minister’s Meeting in
Saskatoon on June 2, 2025. (Liam Richards/The Canadian Press)
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One line in the text of Bill 5 says its purpose is making
Ontario "the best place in the G7 to invest, create jobs and do
business."
Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Minister Vic
Fedeli, whose chief role is attracting companies to the
province, says investors around the world are hoarding capital
in hopes of some economic certainty.
Will Bill 5 attract investment?
"That capital that's building up needs to unleash, and we want
them to know that when they come to Ontario, it can be
unleashed very quickly here," Fedeli said at the news
conference alongside Ford and Lecce.
Having Bill 5 powers on the books means Ontario could try to
entice investors to set up shop in a special economic zone, but
officials won't say whether that incentive is now being dangled
at any particular companies.
* Ontario passes controversial mining law as Doug Ford warns
against blockades
More questions remain on how exactly the government will use
other powers it obtained through Bill 5, such as the power to
ignore the independent scientific committee that determines
whether a species is endangered or threatened in Ontario.
You can expect a backlash from conservation groups whenever the
government uses that power, for instance by scrapping measures
that would protect the habitat of a species at risk. What's
unknown is when, where and with what species the government
will take such a step.
* First Nations leaders in Ontario's Ring of Fire region
demand Bill 5 be struck down
Another 'watch this space' related to Bill 5: what happens with
the expansion of a landfill on the edge of the southwestern
Ontario town of Dresden, which the legislation exempts from
having to go through a comprehensive environmental assessment.
Local residents say they're not giving up their efforts to halt
the project, while the company behind is welcoming the
opportunity of "moving forward with our plan."
* Opponents of reopening Chatham-Kent dump angry over passage
of Bill 5
* Canada-U.S. trade war could spark an 'immediate crisis' in
Ontario's landfills
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