The Ontario government’s Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, 2025, promises to streamline mining and resource development approvals, claiming to balance economic growth with environmental protections and Onkwehón:we consultation.
However, from an Onkwehón:we perspective, this legislation echoes centuries of colonial exploitation, prioritizing corporate interests over responsibility to care for them and along with rights and ecological stewardship. The government’s rhetoric of “cutting red tape “Cutting Red Tape” attacks both Onkwehón:we jurisdiction and exacerbates environmental harm, particularly in the Ring of Fire—a region of profound cultural and ecological significance to First Nations.
The Illusion of Consultation
The legislation repeatedly emphasizes the province’s “duty to consult” Onkwehón:we communities, but history and legal scholarship (as highlighted in the Osgoode Hall report) reveal that consultation frameworks often fail to secure Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), as a rule.
Rushed Processes
The pledge to reduce approval timelines by 50% undermines meaningful consultation, pressuring Onkwehón:we to accept terms under duress.
Power Imbalance
The “One Project, One Process” model centralizes decision-making with the province, sidelining Onkwehón:we governance structures. As noted in the Osgoode report, such approaches often reduce consultation to a checkbox exercise rather than a state-to-state dialogue.
Environmental Sacrifice Zones
The creation of “special economic zones” and accelerated permitting threatens to turn Indigenous territories into sacrifice zones for resource extraction.
Species at Risk
The “registration-first” approach for projects impacting endangered species weakens protections, favouring industry over biodiversity. The $20 million conservation fund pales compared to the irreversible damage caused by mining.
Ring of Fire Devastation
The peatlands and waterways of the Ring of Fire are vital to the health of the boreal forest and the livelihoods of Onkwehón:we like Marten Falls and Webequie. The legislation’s push for expedited development ignores Onkwehón:we knowledge and climate science.
Economic Coercion vs. True Partnership
Premier Ford’s framing of critical minerals as a path to “economic sovereignty” ignores the reality that Onkwehón:we communities bear the costs of extraction while profits flow to corporations and governments.
Job Development Myths
While the government touts job creation, many temporary mining jobs fail to address systemic inequities. Onkwehón:we employment promises often lack enforceable guarantees.
Resource Pirating
The act’s focus on “protecting minerals from foreign adversaries” ironically mirrors the colonial logic of dispossession—treating our lands as commodities to be controlled by the state.
Resistance and Alternatives
Ontario’s legislation is not about “unleashing potential” but about unleashing corporate exploitation onto Indigenous lands. True economic justice requires centring Onkwehonwe autonomy, rejecting false trade-offs between prosperity and sustainability, and honouring the treaties and natural laws that have governed these territories since immemorial. As the Osgoode report underscores, reconciliation cannot coexist with forced extraction.
Sustainable alternative options should encompass initiatives that support Onkwehón:we-led conservation economies, including grassroots land programs and low-impact renewable energy projects. These initiatives should align with ecological balance and support autonomous Onkwehón:we authority.
A path forward must be travelled with consideration, not create chaos
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