An environmental group has raised concerns about Ontario’s Bill 5 and its potential impact on the polar bear population in the province. The legislation, known as the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, replaces the Endangered Species Act with the new Species Conservation Act.
Shane Moffat, the conservation campaigns and advocacy manager at Ontario Nature, has criticized the new law, stating that it offers weaker protections for species at risk, including polar bears. Previously, the province was required to develop recovery plans for endangered species.
Moffatt highlighted that the Endangered Species Act prohibited any harm to polar bear habitats, a provision that may no longer apply with the passing of Bill 5. The new legislation also empowers the government to establish “special economic zones” where projects, such as mining or transportation initiatives, can bypass provincial regulations and municipal bylaws to expedite projects deemed crucial to the economy.
In Ontario, an estimated 800 to 1,000 polar bears inhabit the region around Hudson Bay. Amy Baxendell-Young, the manager of the Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat in northern Ontario, expressed concerns that unrestricted development near Hudson Bay by mining companies could endanger polar bear habitats. However, she emphasized that climate change remains the primary threat to the polar bear population in Canada.
Baxendell-Young explained that as the ice-free period lengthens due to climate change, polar bears struggle to access their main food source, seals. The bears also face challenges as the stability of peatland, where they typically build dens for their young, is diminishing. She noted a consistent decline in the province’s polar bear population over the past two decades.
Responding to criticism, Alexandru Cioban, spokesperson for Ontario’s Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks, defended the new Species Conservation Act. Cioban stated that the legislation establishes stringent environmental protections, ensuring businesses comply with conservation laws. Additionally, the government plans to invest $20 million annually in an enhanced species conservation program.
Under the Species Conservation Act, the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario will continue to classify species as extirpated, endangered, or threatened. The legislation also prohibits activities that could lead to the extinction of species in the wild in Ontario.