Ontario’s Bill 5, passed on June 04, shifts land-use planning powers to the provincial government. Though Bill 5 may be framed as a tool for efficiency, Bill 5 overlooks the leadership, capacity, and vision Indigenous Nations bring to the table. Ultimately setting the stage for conflict and confusion that could slow development. The risks of Bill 5 undermine progress towards collaborative, Nation-informed planning that is essential to both meeting conservation targets and honouring Indigenous land stewardship and Canada’s goals for reconciliation.

At First 30×30 Canada, we believe that reconciliation is not a checkbox, it’s a commitment to relationships, respect, and repair. Any path toward meeting Canada’s 30×30 conservation goals must also confront the colonial legacy of land dispossession and center Indigenous leadership. Promising examples of this commitment in action are emerging across Canada, where partnerships with Indigenous Nations are accelerating land-use planning and recognizing the authority of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs), including notable relationships in British Columbia.

Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) offer a roadmap for meeting conservation targets while also rebuilding nation-to-nation relationships. IPCAs reflect Indigenous governance, cultural practices, and inherent rights and responsibilities that have sustained the lands and waters since time immemorial.

British Columbia: A Promising Example

In contrast to Bill 5, British Columbia is advancing reconciliation by working with Indigenous Nations to fast-track land-use planning in and around IPCAs. This approach supports Indigenous governments in protecting sacred and significant places within their territories, re-affirming that certainty for any land-use initiatives can only be achieved through respectful and sustained Indigenous relationships.

Through dialogue with mining industries, we have learned that protected areas are being established faster, and development projects are more likely to move forward when there is certainty from all parties involved, including Indigenous consent. Bill 5 undermines this certainty by centralizing decisions and bypassing Indigenous jurisdiction, leading to conflict, violation of trust and treaty, and creating challenges that ultimately slow development . British Columbia’s example illustrates that real progress comes from upholding Indigenous law, governance, and stewardship, not from exclusion.

We call on all levels of government to:

• Uphold the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), including the right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC);
• Support the establishment and long-term funding of IPCAs across the country;
• Foster genuine partnerships with Indigenous Nations through co-governance and recognition of Indigenous law;
• Invest in Nation-led planning that prioritizes both ecological integrity and cultural continuity.

Indigenous Resurgence in Conservation

If we are to meet our national 30×30 goals in a meaningful way, we must do so with humility and a deep commitment to Indigenous sovereignty. Conservation includes people, stories, and systems of respect and understanding that have protected these lands for generations.

We invite Ontario and other jurisdictions to look to IPCAs and the leadership happening in British Columbia, not as a model to replicate, but as a reminder that development, reconciliation, conservation, and Indigenous resurgence can, and must, go hand in hand.