To the Editor:
I recently wrote to our local MPP, Nolan Quinn, to express my concerns about Bill 5 – legislation that would repeal Ontario’s Endangered Species Act and grant the provincial government sweeping powers to override environmental protections and local decision-making. As of today, I have received no response.
Bill 5 is not just about habitat and endangered species, though those are deeply important. It is also about democratic accountability, municipal autonomy, and respect for Indigenous rights. And on those fronts, the silence is equally troubling.
The Chiefs of Ontario, along with other Indigenous voices, have raised concerns about this legislation – not only because of its environmental implications, but because it sidesteps the Crown’s duty to consult. The bill enables development to begin immediately upon registration and rewrites the rules around archaeological assessment, putting burial sites and cultural heritage at risk. It also proposes the creation of Special Economic Zones, where certain projects could be exempt from any provincial legislation or regulation, effectively allowing the government to bypass its own legal obligations with no clear oversight.
Cornwall sits on the traditional and unceded territory of the Mohawk people of Akwesasne and their ancestors. While I am not Indigenous, I believe it is my responsibility as a non-Indigenous person living on this land to speak up when Indigenous rights – such as the right to free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) – are being disregarded. Canada has ratified the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which affirms the obligation to consult Indigenous nations on matters affecting their lands, resources, and governance. We must hold governments accountable to meaningful consultation processes that take into full account Indigenous law and leadership.
I hope others in our community will read this bill closely and ask: who benefits, who is being silenced, and what kind of future we are building. We need governments that engage with the people and lands they represent – not just those who stand to profit.
Mélanie Ayotte
Cornwall, ON
