Polar bears are icons of the north – powerful, resilient and increasingly at risk. Some of Canada’s polar bear population live in Ontario, and how we protect them matters not only provincially, but globally.
In response to the federal government’s draft Management Plan for the Polar Bear in Canada, Ontario Nature is raising serious concerns about how the Government of Ontario is handling its part of the responsibility. The government is stepping back at the very moment it should be stepping up – and Bill 5 is at the heart of the problem.
Earlier this year, the Ontario government passed Bill 5, the “Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act.” Bill 5 repeals the provincial Endangered Species Act (ESA), the very law that protected species like the polar bear. In its place is the much weaker Species Conservation Act, which strips away many key protections. Here’s what that means:
Developers no longer need to get approval before harming the habitat of threatened species like polar bears — they just register and proceed.
The definition of “habitat” has been narrowed dramatically — so much so that crucial polar bear feeding and migration areas may no longer be protected at all.
The listing of polar bears as a “threatened” species in Ontario is no longer guaranteed, as the province has given itself the power to ignore expert advice.
There is no legal requirement to create recovery strategies for polar bears in future.
Put simply, Bill 5 has gutted the legal framework that once protected polar bears in Ontario.
Climate change remains the most urgent threat to polar bears. Their sea-ice habitat is vanishing, and Ontario’s own polar bear recovery plan warns they could disappear from the province within 40 to 100 years if we don’t act.
Despite promising to slash emissions as a “critical” measure to sustain polar bears, Ontario has fallen far short. By 2023, emissions had only dropped 11% from 1990 levels – a far cry from the 37% target it set for 2030. Many environmentalists had warned this target was already too low to begin with.
This isn’t just a failure of policy — it’s a direct threat to the future of polar bears in Ontario and around the world.
No Plan, No Protection
Ontario also promised to review pollution controls and assess the “cumulative impacts” of things like mining, land use, and climate change on polar bear habitat. But so far, there’s no evidence of new pollution targets or any serious regional environmental assessments.
Ontario’s recovery plan for polar bears lays out a laudable vision: a viable polar bear sub-population that can thrive in a changing climate and support Indigenous People’s important relationship with the species. But without legal tools, meaningful habitat protection, climate action or basic transparency, it’s just words on paper.
Ontario Nature is urging the federal government to seek a clear, evidence-based recovery plan from the province and much greater transparency about how polar bears will be protected under Bill 5. We’re also calling on Ottawa to use the full power of the federal Species at Risk Act to ensure polar bears don’t slip through the cracks — especially in light of Ontario’s rollback of environmental protections.
What You Can Do: Help Repeal Bill 5
Polar bears deserve better — and so do all species at risk in this province. Bill 5 has stripped away the protections they need to survive. That’s why we’re calling on the public to stand up for wildlife and help Ontario Nature and our many allies across the province to overturn Bill 5.
Shane Moffatt, Ontario Nature's Conservation Campaigns and Advocacy Manager, is a settler living in Tkaronto (Toronto) on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples. He has been advocating for environmental justice for almost twenty years and holds an LLM from the University of Toronto. Shane was previously head of Greenpeace Canada’s nature campaign and has extensive experience advocating for legislative reforms, supporting impacted communities and empowering the public to act. Shane is an avid hiker and is frequently found exploring the forests and wetlands of Southern Ontario with his partner.
To help advance our objectives related to Bill 5, Ontario Nature is partnering with Legal Advocates for Nature’s Defence (LAND). An environmental law non-profit, LAND advances access to justice in northern Ontario to protect nature and Indigenous rights. Ontario Nature is providing financial and in-kind advocacy support to LAND to advance legal challenges by Indigenous rights holders to Bill 5. Ontario Nature and LAND will also collaborate on events, and amplifying Bill 5 opposition and Indigenous voices.
