<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 style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space; position: relative;"><div><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 style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div><div class="row" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-right: -15px; margin-left: -15px;"><div class="tsArticleContainer star true" data-length="30" data-lpos="asset|body" style="box-sizing: border-box; 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 id="asset-content" data-asset-uuid="b131364c-46a8-4324-8665-465af8daeb37" class="tsArticle" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; margin-top: 24px;"><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;"><span id="author-adcc1bd8-9d00-11ed-950d-83ddc828e6bf-asset-b131364c-46a8-4324-8665-465af8daeb37" class="tnt-byline asset-byline author hasAvatar authorListItem" itemprop="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold; align-self: flex-start;"><div class="avatar-box hidden-print" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 20px; width: 40px; height: 40px; min-width: 40px; min-height: 40px; overflow: hidden; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15); margin-right: 8px; border-radius: 50% !important;"><a href="https://www.thestar.com/users/profile/Martin-Regg-Cohn" class="tnt-user-profile-link user-profile-link card-author media-object" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-decoration: none; display: block; line-height: 20px; height: 37.647057px;"></a></div></span><div class="authorList list hasAuthorAvatar" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.4px; width: 642.003662px;"><span data-pos="0" data-first="true" data-last="true" id="author-adcc1bd8-9d00-11ed-950d-83ddc828e6bf-asset-b131364c-46a8-4324-8665-465af8daeb37" class="tnt-byline asset-byline author hasAvatar authorListItem" style="box-sizing: border-box; align-self: flex-start;"><span class="leadin" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 20px;">By </span><span class="authorName" data-avatar="yes" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 20px;"><a href="https://www.thestar.com/users/profile/Martin-Regg-Cohn" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-decoration: none; line-height: 20px;">Martin Regg Cohn<span class="authorTitle" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 20px; margin-left: 5px;">Political Columnist</span></a></span></span><div id="authorBios" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p 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;">Martin Regg Cohn is a Toronto-based columnist focusing on Ontario politics and international affairs for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/reggcohn" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(104, 104, 104) !important;">@reggcohn</a>.</p></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;"><a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/doug-ford/" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-decoration: none !important; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; border-bottom-style: solid !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(216, 216, 216) !important; transition: background-color 0.25s linear !important;">Doug Ford</a> is walking and talking his way into a confrontation with Indigenous groups across Ontario.</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;">It’s not a good look.</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;">The premier won re-election promising to “Protect Ontario” and promote the economy. Now, he is pushing <a href="https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/first-nations-chief-warns-of-fierce-resistance-to-premier-doug-fords-mining-bill/article_c77843cd-2e47-4252-a633-d3e1b5bf3e48.html" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-decoration: none !important; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; border-bottom-style: solid !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(216, 216, 216) !important; transition: background-color 0.25s linear !important;">an unprecedented plan to bulldoze</a> — literally and figuratively speaking — any part of the province that he declares a “special economic zone.”</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 a bad playbook.</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;">To get shovels in the ground, he is wielding a sledgehammer in the legislature — and digging in deeper by the day. This month, his government introduced the “Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act,” and this week Ford unleashed his fury on his critics — dismissing them as “radical environmentalists.”</p></div><div id="tncms-region-article_instory_top" class="tncms-region hidden-print tsArticleRegion" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"><div id="tncms-block-3445569" class="tncms-block" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></div></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 it boomeranged.</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;">Indigenous groups say they’re the ones who need protection from the premier’s provocations. They don’t want to be insulted, just consulted as a fundamental treaty right — and they’re warning of litigation and demonstrations that will slow things down.</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;">Call it double jeopardy for Ford’s Tories.</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;">First, they’re risking confrontation with Indigenous leaders. Second, they’re raising confusion and uncertainty with investor groups who hate legal peril.</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;">The government’s legislative overreach seems destined to land it in the courts, creating predictable delays. Corporations hate red tape, but they worry more about getting tied down by litigation — not just from Indigenous groups, but environmentalists and other interest groups.</p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="inline-asset inline-article subscriber-hide tnt-inline-asset tnt-inline-relcontent tnt-inline-article tnt-inline-relation-child tnt-inline-presentation-short-summary tnt-inline-alignment-default tnt-inline-width-default" style="box-sizing: border-box; width: 690px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-bottom-width: medium; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-color: currentcolor; margin-bottom: 24px !important;"><article id="card-summary-c77843cd-2e47-4252-a633-d3e1b5bf3e48" class="tnt-asset-type-article clearfix card summary has-image letterbox-style-white tnt-section-politics tnt-sub-section-provincial" style="box-sizing: border-box; width: 690px; margin: 0px; position: relative; padding: 10px 0px; border: medium !important;"><div class="card-container" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="card-image" style="box-sizing: border-box; overflow: hidden; position: relative; float: left; margin-right: 24px; width: 128px !important; height: 90px !important;"><div class="media-preview-c77843cd-2e47-4252-a633-d3e1b5bf3e48 media-preview article-asset" data-aspect="" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><figure class="photo layout-horizontal letterbox-style-white" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; width: auto; float: none;"><div class="image" data-toggle="modal" data-target=".modal-c77843cd-2e47-4252-a633-d3e1b5bf3e48" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/first-nations-chief-warns-of-fierce-resistance-to-premier-doug-fords-mining-bill/article_c77843cd-2e47-4252-a633-d3e1b5bf3e48.html" class="tnt-asset-link" aria-label="First Nations chief warns of ‘fierce resistance’ to Premier Doug Ford’s mining bill" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-decoration: none;"></a></div></figure></div></div></div></article></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>