Premier Doug Ford’s government is set to capitulate to some First Nation demands on a controversial mining bill, though it will not kill the proposed law outright, The Canadian Press has learned.
Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford and Mining Minister Stephen Lecce say the province will amend Bill 5 to explicitly include duty to consult provisions throughout the bill.
The bill, which seeks to speed up mining projects, is set to go through amendments Wednesday at committee as it moves towards becoming law.
The new law would create so-called “special economic zones” where it can suspend provincial and municipal projects, but will also add in “special Indigenous economic zones” at the request of First Nations for projects they want fast-tracked.
The province is set to designate the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario as the first such zone, a move that has set off a firestorm of anger among First Nations, many of which have pledged to take the fight to the land.
But Rickford and Lecce say the province will not designate the Ring of Fire a special economic zone until it meaningfully consults with all First Nations in the area.