Ontario insists it will consult with First Nations on controversial mining bill

Ontario is insisting it will consult with First Nations over a proposed bill that would suspend provincial and municipal laws in areas it designates as so-called special economic zones.

But many First Nations across the province are livid with the government over the proposed law, known as Bill 5, which is being studied at committee on Thursday.

The province says it intends to declare the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario as one such zone.

Energy and Mining Minister Stephen Lecce says the province is rewriting the law’s preamble to clarify and reinforce the province’s constitutional duty to consult with Indigenous people.

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New Democrat deputy Leader Sol Mamakwa says the province has failed in its duty to consult.

Mamakwa tabled a motion to add one day of committee hearings in Thunder Bay, Ont., to allow those from northern Ontario to give their opinions on the bill, but the Progressive Conservatives denied it.