First Nations families protest development bills by reasserting presence on the land
Jun 24, 2025
Flags along Attawapiskat River are part of protest against government laws to fast-track development
A family travelling on the Attawapiskat River in Ontario’s far north has been planting flags — created by Attawapiskat First Nation families — as a symbol of protest after the passing of provincial and federal laws created to fast-track development.
Bill 5, the Protecting Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, allows Ontario to create special economic zones, where companies or projects can be exempted from having to comply with provincial laws, regulations or municipal bylaws.
Attawapiskat First Nation is downstream from the mineral-rich Ring of Fire, which Premier Doug Ford wants to designate as a special economic zone.
