<html><body style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><div dir="auto" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div><div></div><div><a href="https://www.thespec.com/opinion/editorial-cartoons/doug-ford-goes-on-a-spending-spree/article_5cec30e9-90d4-5fcf-8017-00fe5b4a8b33.html">https://www.thespec.com/opinion/editorial-cartoons/doug-ford-goes-on-a-spending-spree/article_5cec30e9-90d4-5fcf-8017-00fe5b4a8b33.html</a></div></div><div><br></div><div>Mackenzie Bender - Hamilton Spectator</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div class="asset-masthead" data-lpos="asset|header" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: none; margin: 0px auto; width: 690px; padding: 0px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Merriweather Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><header class="asset-header" style="box-sizing: border-box; width: min(960px, 100%); max-width: none; margin: 0px auto;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><h1 itemprop="headline" class="headline" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 44px; margin: 20px 0px 10px; font-family: var(--font-daily-serif); line-height: 48px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); word-spacing: -0.5px; letter-spacing: -0.25px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span id="opinionHeadline" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(156, 102, 0); cursor: pointer;">Opinion | </span>Not in our nature: Bill 5 betrays Ontario’s commitments</span></h1></div><div class="asset-summary" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 16px 0px 0px; line-height: 1.47;">It bulldozes environmental oversight for the benefit of industry, not the people.</p></div><div class="meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 26px; margin-bottom: 16px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 16px;"><div class="metaPrimary metaInstance1" data-lpos="asset|header" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex;"><div class="metaContainer" data-pubinfo="null" style="box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.4px; display: flex; column-gap: 10px; align-items: center;"><div class="dates" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="hidden-print" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><time datetime="2025-05-10T06:00:00-04:00" class="tnt-date asset-date text-muted" style="box-sizing: border-box;">May 10, 2025</time></div></div><div class="timeToRead hidden-print" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; display: flex;"><div class="time-to-read-wrapper" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; align-items: center;"><span class="icon-timer" style="box-sizing: border-box; object-fit: contain; display: inline-block; width: 10px; height: 12px; background-image: url("../../images/icons/timer.svg"); background-position: center center; background-size: contain; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-origin: padding-box; background-clip: border-box;"></span><span class="read-time" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding-left: 5px;">2 min read</span></div></div><div class="iconsContainer" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; gap: 12px; align-items: center;"><div class="saveIcon" data-original-title="" title="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; align-items: center; font-size: 18px; width: 22px; height: 24px; padding-top: 2px;"><a id="save-list-51c87f80-bbc4-579c-83d5-caa80612a5f9-btn" class="save-list-51c87f80-bbc4-579c-83d5-caa80612a5f9-btn save-asset" title="Save to list" href="https://www.thespec.com/opinion/contributors/not-in-our-nature-bill-5-betrays-ontarios-commitments/article_51c87f80-bbc4-579c-83d5-caa80612a5f9.html#" role="button" rel="nofollow" data-asset-uuid="51c87f80-bbc4-579c-83d5-caa80612a5f9" data-tncms-track-dmp="is_saved_items_user" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer;"><span class="tnt-stack" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 24px; position: relative; width: 24px; justify-content: center; align-items: center;"><svg width="25" height="25" viewBox="0 0 25 25" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M17.1602 3.5H7.16016C6.06016 3.5 5.17016 4.4 5.17016 5.5L5.16016 21.5L12.1602 18.5L19.1602 21.5V5.5C19.1602 4.4 18.2602 3.5 17.1602 3.5ZM17.1602 18.5L12.1602 16.32L7.16016 18.5V5.5H17.1602V18.5Z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></span><span class="sr-only" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; clip: rect(0px, 0px, 0px, 0px); height: 1px; margin: -1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; width: 1px;">Save</span></a><form method="post" data-uuid="51c87f80-bbc4-579c-83d5-caa80612a5f9" class="save-list-51c87f80-bbc4-579c-83d5-caa80612a5f9-form save-asset-to-list" action="https://www.thespec.com/users/admin/list/" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></form></div><div class="shareIcons shareMenu" data-original-title="" title="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; position: relative; clear: both;"><div class="share-menu-button" aria-expanded="false" role="button" tabindex="0" title="Share Menu" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; height: 24px; outline: currentcolor;"><svg width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M16.3997 7.91406V7.38955L15.8758 7.41463L15.0556 7.45391C12.1345 7.59379 9.55579 9.38794 8.15778 11.9041C8.10645 9.09642 9.17708 7.41402 10.5542 6.40198C12.1923 5.19812 14.3542 4.8772 15.8877 4.91392L16.3997 4.92618V4.41406V2.0555L22.1222 6.40225L16.3997 10.371V7.91406Z" fill="currentColor" stroke="currentColor"></path><path fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" d="M18 15.3452V19.35C18 19.95 17.7929 20.4583 17.3787 20.875C16.9644 21.2917 16.4591 21.5 15.8626 21.5H3.13743C2.54094 21.5 2.03558 21.2917 1.62135 20.875C1.20711 20.4583 1 19.95 1 19.35V7.6C1 7.03333 1.20711 6.54167 1.62135 6.125C2.03558 5.70833 2.54094 5.5 3.13743 5.5H4.55273C5.10333 5.5 5.54967 5.9701 5.54967 6.55C5.54967 7.1299 5.10333 7.6 4.55273 7.6H3.13743V19.35H15.8626V14.65C15.8626 14.1069 16.2589 13.7264 16.7715 13.6666C18 13.5233 18 14.7857 18 15.3452Z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></div></div></div></div></div></span></div></header></div><div class="row" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-right: -15px; margin-left: -15px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Merriweather Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><div class="tsArticleContainer star true" data-length="25" data-lpos="asset|body" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div id="tncms-region-article_top" class="tncms-region hidden-print" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></div><div class="articleMainArt" data-lpos="asset|main-multimedia" style="box-sizing: border-box; width: min(690px, 100%); max-width: none; margin: 0px auto;"><div class="asset-photo card" data-lpos="asset|main-multimedia" style="box-sizing: border-box; width: 690px; margin-bottom: 20px; position: relative;"><figure class="photo layout-horizontal hover-expand letterbox-style-default" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; cursor: pointer; position: relative;"><span class="expand hidden-print" data-toggle="modal" data-target=".modal-6cbe42cb-050d-5a46-8c75-3bd5df667614" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition: 0.25s ease-out; opacity: 0; z-index: 99; position: absolute; top: 10px; left: 10px; background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding: 5px 10px; border-radius: 5px; font-size: 18px !important;"><svg class="tnt-svg tnt-expand tnt-w-14" aria-hidden="true" data-prefix="fas" data-icon="expand" role="presentation" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 448 512" data-fa-i2svg=""><path fill="currentColor" d="M0 180V56c0-13.3 10.7-24 24-24h124c6.6 0 12 5.4 12 12v40c0 6.6-5.4 12-12 12H64v84c0 6.6-5.4 12-12 12H12c-6.6 0-12-5.4-12-12zM288 44v40c0 6.6 5.4 12 12 12h84v84c0 6.6 5.4 12 12 12h40c6.6 0 12-5.4 12-12V56c0-13.3-10.7-24-24-24H300c-6.6 0-12 5.4-12 12zm148 276h-40c-6.6 0-12 5.4-12 12v84h-84c-6.6 0-12 5.4-12 12v40c0 6.6 5.4 12 12 12h124c13.3 0 24-10.7 24-24V332c0-6.6-5.4-12-12-12zM160 468v-40c0-6.6-5.4-12-12-12H64v-84c0-6.6-5.4-12-12-12H12c-6.6 0-12 5.4-12 12v124c0 13.3 10.7 24 24 24h124c6.6 0 12-5.4 12-12z"></path></svg></span><div class="image" data-toggle="modal" data-target=".modal-6cbe42cb-050d-5a46-8c75-3bd5df667614" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85);"><div itemprop="image" itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><img src="https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/thespec.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/cb/6cbe42cb-050d-5a46-8c75-3bd5df667614/681d2c968e4d6.image.jpg?resize=400%2C267" srcset="https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/thespec.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/cb/6cbe42cb-050d-5a46-8c75-3bd5df667614/681d2c968e4d6.image.jpg?resize=150%2C100 150w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/thespec.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/cb/6cbe42cb-050d-5a46-8c75-3bd5df667614/681d2c968e4d6.image.jpg?resize=200%2C133 200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/thespec.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/cb/6cbe42cb-050d-5a46-8c75-3bd5df667614/681d2c968e4d6.image.jpg?resize=225%2C150 225w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/thespec.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/cb/6cbe42cb-050d-5a46-8c75-3bd5df667614/681d2c968e4d6.image.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/thespec.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/cb/6cbe42cb-050d-5a46-8c75-3bd5df667614/681d2c968e4d6.image.jpg?resize=400%2C267 400w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/thespec.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/cb/6cbe42cb-050d-5a46-8c75-3bd5df667614/681d2c968e4d6.image.jpg?resize=540%2C360 540w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/thespec.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/cb/6cbe42cb-050d-5a46-8c75-3bd5df667614/681d2c968e4d6.image.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/thespec.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/cb/6cbe42cb-050d-5a46-8c75-3bd5df667614/681d2c968e4d6.image.jpg?resize=750%2C500 750w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/thespec.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/cb/6cbe42cb-050d-5a46-8c75-3bd5df667614/681d2c968e4d6.image.jpg?resize=990%2C660 990w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/thespec.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/cb/6cbe42cb-050d-5a46-8c75-3bd5df667614/681d2c968e4d6.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C690 1035w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/thespec.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/cb/6cbe42cb-050d-5a46-8c75-3bd5df667614/681d2c968e4d6.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C800 1200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/thespec.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/cb/6cbe42cb-050d-5a46-8c75-3bd5df667614/681d2c968e4d6.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C888 1333w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/thespec.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/cb/6cbe42cb-050d-5a46-8c75-3bd5df667614/681d2c968e4d6.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C984 1476w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/thespec.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/cb/6cbe42cb-050d-5a46-8c75-3bd5df667614/681d2c968e4d6.image.jpg 2008w" sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 1140px, calc(100vw - 30px)" width="1763" height="1175" alt="Hikers look out over Spencer Gorge" class="img-responsive full tnt-restrict-img-6cbe42cb-050d-5a46-8c75-3bd5df667614 default" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; vertical-align: middle; display: block; max-width: 1763px; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; width: 690px;"></div></div><figcaption class="captionNew" id="mainCaption_6cbe42cb-050d-5a46-8c75-3bd5df667614" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; height: auto; overflow: hidden; max-width: 690px; width: 690px; padding-top: 16px; font-family: var(--font-daily-sans); transition: height 0.5s; overflow-wrap: break-word; line-height: 20px; letter-spacing: 0em; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 16px; cursor: initial;"><span class="caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; max-width: 95%;">In Hamilton, we often take our green spaces for granted, Mackenzie Bender writes.</div></span><span class="credit" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="tnt-byline" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Jim Auty photo</span></span><span class="clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span></figcaption><hr style="box-sizing: content-box; height: 0px; margin: 16px 0px 24px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: solid none none; border-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) currentcolor currentcolor; border-image: none;"></figure></div></div><div id="tncms-region-article_top_content" class="tncms-region hidden-print" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></div><div id="asset-content" data-asset-uuid="51c87f80-bbc4-579c-83d5-caa80612a5f9" class="tsArticle" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; margin-top: 24px; padding: 0px !important;"><div class="asset-body" style="box-sizing: border-box; width: 690px; padding: 0px; max-width: 100%; margin: 0px auto; position: relative !important;"><div class="article-pe-author-detail-container" data-lpos="asset|header" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; row-gap: 16px; align-items: center; flex-wrap: nowrap; margin-bottom: 24px; line-height: 20px;"><div class="authorList list" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.4px;"><span class="tnt-byline" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="leadin" style="box-sizing: border-box;">By </span>Mackenzie Bender</span><div id="authorBios" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; color: rgb(104, 104, 104); line-height: 20px; font-weight: 400; font-family: var(--font-daily-sans); letter-spacing: normal;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Mackenzie Bender lives in Hamilton.</em></div></div></div></div><div id="tncms-region-article_body_top" class="tncms-region hidden-print" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></div><div id="article-body" data-tier="1" itemprop="articleBody" class="asset-content subscriber-premium" data-lpos="asset|body" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="subscriber-preview" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; font-family: var(--font-daily-text); overflow-wrap: break-word;">If Bill 5 was truly meant to serve Ontarians, it wouldn’t be pushed through right after an election. It wouldn’t be buried while attention is elsewhere. It wouldn’t be fast-tracked to bypass public input, it would invite it.</p></div><div class="subscriber-preview" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; font-family: var(--font-daily-text); overflow-wrap: break-word;">But it hasn’t.</p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; font-family: var(--font-daily-text); overflow-wrap: break-word;">Bill 5, titled the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, is set to pass on May 17. It would repeal Ontario’s Endangered Species Act, removing science-based decision-making, rewriting the definition of “habitat,” and stripping protections from over 200 species. It would also create “Special Economic Zones,” where environmental laws could be bypassed altogether.</p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; font-family: var(--font-daily-text); overflow-wrap: break-word;">In Hamilton, we often take our green spaces for granted: a deer near Cootes Paradise, hawks soaring above the escarpment, the stillness of Spencer Gorge after a long day. These markers of home feel permanent. But they’re not. Even parts of the Greenbelt we fought to protect would be vulnerable.</p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; font-family: var(--font-daily-text); overflow-wrap: break-word;">Beyond the environmental harm, Bill 5 is colonization in real time.</p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; font-family: var(--font-daily-text); overflow-wrap: break-word;">Ontario claims to support reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. Yet this bill directly contradicts those commitments. Both the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) call for free, prior and informed consent, recognition of Indigenous land governance and co-management of natural resources.</p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; font-family: var(--font-daily-text); overflow-wrap: break-word;">Bill 5 ignores every one of these principles. It removes requirements for consultation with Indigenous communities, silencing their rights and voices. This isn’t just a policy shift — it’s a government reclaiming land and power while excluding those who have protected it longest.</p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; font-family: var(--font-daily-text); overflow-wrap: break-word;">Bill 5 isn’t about affordable housing, green energy, or helping everyday Ontarians.</p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; font-family: var(--font-daily-text); overflow-wrap: break-word;">Let’s be honest. Who is this really for?</p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; font-family: var(--font-daily-text); overflow-wrap: break-word;">It’s the same story that keeps repeating itself across the world: it’s about power. About how the rich and well-connected continue to shape the world in their image, while the rest of us live with the consequences.</p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; font-family: var(--font-daily-text); overflow-wrap: break-word;">Premier Doug Ford has pointed to the Ring of Fire, a mineral-rich region in northern Ontario, as essential to building electric vehicles and supporting a green economy. But even there, mining must be done responsibly with full Indigenous consent and protections for fragile ecosystems. Otherwise, what’s the point of building green if we destroy what we’re trying to save?</p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; font-family: var(--font-daily-text); overflow-wrap: break-word;">Does it still count as green if it costs us biodiversity, clean water and Indigenous rights?</p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; font-family: var(--font-daily-text); overflow-wrap: break-word;">If this were truly about responsible development or EV infrastructure, why not create a focused, transparent bill? Why repeal the entire Endangered Species Act and apply sweeping changes across the province?</p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; font-family: var(--font-daily-text); overflow-wrap: break-word;">Because this isn’t about sustainability. It’s about access — access to land, to profit and to unchecked power.</p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; font-family: var(--font-daily-text); overflow-wrap: break-word;">Bill 5 is a disguise.</p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; font-family: var(--font-daily-text); overflow-wrap: break-word;">Packaged as a growth strategy, it bulldozes environmental oversight for the benefit of industry, not the people.</p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; font-family: var(--font-daily-text); overflow-wrap: break-word;">I’m speaking as an average Ontarian. I’m not rich. I rent, I budget and I care. I don’t own an electric car and I can’t afford to shop organic. But I do walk through Hamilton’s conservation areas with my family. I find peace in the forest. And I know that green space isn’t a luxury — It’s a right.</p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; font-family: var(--font-daily-text); overflow-wrap: break-word;">Yes, we need to build cleaner vehicles and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and we still need materials like lithium and nickel to do that.</p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; font-family: var(--font-daily-text); overflow-wrap: break-word;">But not like this.</p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; font-family: var(--font-daily-text); overflow-wrap: break-word;">Not by destroying endangered species protections.</p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; font-family: var(--font-daily-text); overflow-wrap: break-word;">Not by bulldozing through Indigenous lands without consent.</p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; font-family: var(--font-daily-text); overflow-wrap: break-word;">Not by gutting consultation, rewriting environmental definitions and fast-tracking destruction under the name of progress.</p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; font-family: var(--font-daily-text); overflow-wrap: break-word;">We can build a greener future, but we cannot justify environmental harm and colonial policy in the name of it. If the solution to climate change still looks like corporate extraction, silenced voices and broken ecosystems, then it’s not a solution. It’s the same story in a greenwashed cover.</p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; font-family: var(--font-daily-text); overflow-wrap: break-word;">A better future must be built with care, consent and respect.</p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; font-family: var(--font-daily-text); overflow-wrap: break-word;">Start by using your voice: sign petitions, contact your MPP and tell them this isn’t the Ontario you want to live in. Together, our voices have power.</p></div><div id="tncms-region-article_bottom_content" class="tncms-region hidden-print" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; position: relative;"></div></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; font-family: var(--font-daily-sans);">Opinion articles are based on the author’s interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events. <a href="https://www.thestar.com/site/static-pages/glossary.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(0, 110, 210); text-decoration: none;">More details</a></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>---------------------------------------</div><div>Martin Regg Cohn, The Toronto Star, May 13, 2025</div><div><br></div><div><div class="asset-masthead" data-lpos="asset|header" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: none; margin: 0px auto; width: 690px; padding: 0px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Merriweather Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><header class="asset-header" style="box-sizing: border-box; width: min(960px, 100%); max-width: none; margin: 0px auto;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><h1 itemprop="headline" class="headline" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 44px; margin: 20px 0px 10px; font-family: var(--font-daily-serif); line-height: 48px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); word-spacing: -0.5px; letter-spacing: -0.25px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span id="opinionHeadline" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(156, 102, 0); cursor: pointer;">Opinion | </span>Doug Ford is undermining democracy while blaming Donald Trump</span></h1></div><div class="asset-summary" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 16px 0px 0px; line-height: 1.47;">Back in power after campaigning on a slogan to “Protect Ontario” from the U.S. president’s depredations, the premier is going back on his word, Martin Regg Cohn writes.</p></div><div class="meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 26px; margin-bottom: 16px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 16px;"><div class="metaPrimary metaInstance1" data-lpos="asset|header" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex;"><div class="metaContainer" data-pubinfo="null" style="box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.4px; display: flex; column-gap: 10px; align-items: center;"><div class="assetUpdated" style="box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.4px;"><span class="inline-block icon-updated" style="box-sizing: border-box; object-fit: contain; display: inline-block; width: 10px; height: 12px; background-image: url("../../images/icons/updated.svg"); background-position: center center; background-size: contain; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-origin: padding-box; background-clip: border-box; margin-bottom: -1px; margin-right: 3px;"></span><span class="text-muted tnt-update-recent" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Updated <time datetime="2025-05-12T19:20:53-04:00" class="tnt-date tnt-update-recent asset-date text-muted" style="box-sizing: border-box;">14 hrs ago</time></span></div><div class="dates" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="hidden-print" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><time datetime="2025-05-12T16:15:00-04:00" class="tnt-date asset-date text-muted" style="box-sizing: border-box;">May 12, 2025</time></div></div><div class="timeToRead hidden-print" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; display: flex;"><div class="time-to-read-wrapper" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; align-items: center;"><span class="icon-timer" style="box-sizing: border-box; object-fit: contain; display: inline-block; width: 10px; height: 12px; background-image: url("../../images/icons/timer.svg"); background-position: center center; background-size: contain; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-origin: padding-box; background-clip: border-box;"></span><span class="read-time" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding-left: 5px;">3 min read</span></div></div><div class="iconsContainer" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; gap: 12px; align-items: center;"><div class="saveIcon" data-original-title="" title="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; align-items: center; font-size: 18px; width: 22px; height: 24px; padding-top: 2px;"><a id="save-list-50fbe762-ffa2-50f1-ae68-a82d0bc647a5-btn" class="save-list-50fbe762-ffa2-50f1-ae68-a82d0bc647a5-btn save-asset" title="Save to list" href="https://www.therecord.com/politics/political-opinion/doug-ford-is-undermining-democracy-while-blaming-donald-trump/article_50fbe762-ffa2-50f1-ae68-a82d0bc647a5.html#" role="button" rel="nofollow" data-asset-uuid="50fbe762-ffa2-50f1-ae68-a82d0bc647a5" data-tncms-track-dmp="is_saved_items_user" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer;"><span class="tnt-stack" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 24px; position: relative; width: 24px; justify-content: center; align-items: center;"><svg width="25" height="25" viewBox="0 0 25 25" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M17.1602 3.5H7.16016C6.06016 3.5 5.17016 4.4 5.17016 5.5L5.16016 21.5L12.1602 18.5L19.1602 21.5V5.5C19.1602 4.4 18.2602 3.5 17.1602 3.5ZM17.1602 18.5L12.1602 16.32L7.16016 18.5V5.5H17.1602V18.5Z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></span><span class="sr-only" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; clip: rect(0px, 0px, 0px, 0px); height: 1px; margin: -1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; width: 1px;">Save</span></a><form method="post" data-uuid="50fbe762-ffa2-50f1-ae68-a82d0bc647a5" class="save-list-50fbe762-ffa2-50f1-ae68-a82d0bc647a5-form save-asset-to-list" action="https://www.therecord.com/users/admin/list/" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></form></div><div id="tnt-gift-btn-wrapper" class="tnt-gift-article dropdown" data-asset-url="https://www.therecord.com/politics/political-opinion/doug-ford-is-undermining-democracy-while-blaming-donald-trump/article_50fbe762-ffa2-50f1-ae68-a82d0bc647a5.html" data-gift-service-ids="[13219,15987,15990,11953,12487,12559,12562,12277]" data-asset-type="article" data-asset-title="Doug Ford is undermining democracy while blaming Donald Trump" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; margin-left: auto; text-align: right;"><button id="tnt-gift-btn" type="button" data-toggle="dropdown" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false" style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-width: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; appearance: button; cursor: pointer; border-radius: 20px 0px 0px 20px; background-image: none; background-position: 0px center; background-size: auto; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-origin: padding-box; background-clip: border-box; border-width: medium; border-style: none; border-color: currentcolor;"></button></div></div></div></div></span></div></header></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>