Letter to the Editor: Bill 5: Weakens Northern Ontario Workers, Communities, and Economies – Anishinabek News
June 11, 2025
Last week, I joined First Nations communities in opposition to the passage of Bill 5, legislation the Ford Government is selling as a pathway to jobs, economic security, and prosperity to northern Ontario. Don’t be fooled. This Bill isn’t about building the north. It is about deregulating it. This piece of legislation allows corporations to operate without environmental or labour laws, and violate First Nations rights, all under the guise of “Special Economic Zones”.
The government claims this Bill is necessary to ‘cut red tape’ in response to US tariffs. Let’s be clear, First Nations rights, environmental protections and labour laws are not ‘red tape’. This is a power grab to give their insiders and developers access to natural resources in the north without having to manage basic human, environmental, or Indigenous rights, and labour standards.
Let’s remember that labour laws protect workers’ rights to fair wages, collective bargaining, job security, and safe working conditions. They are not obstacles to economic prosperity but are what make strong local communities and economies. The north is an attractive place for investment, with its stable, highly skilled workforce. Undercutting this workforce with Bill 5 creates a pathway for employers to operate without labour laws, promoting a race to the bottom in which worker protections and wages are viewed as barriers. Weak labour standards lead to lower wages, higher injury rates, and increased economic inequality, especially for northern Ontario.
