Anishinabek Nation chief says he briefed Ontario police on protests against Bill 5
A regional chief for Anishinabek Nation says he briefed Ontario Provincial Police Thursday on what to expect when First Nations take to the streets to protest provincial and federal legislation aimed at fast-tracking major projects.
Scott McLeod said he was invited by an Indigenous relations coordinator to brief officers at the OPP’s Orillia headquarters on why First Nations oppose the legislation and why they see the bills as a violation of treaties with the Crown.
“These territories are not just waiting idly for you to come and dig up the resources there. These territories are educational institutes. They are grocery stores. They are pharmacies for our medicines,” McLeod said in an interview with The Canadian Press.
“First Nations leaders in Ontario have consistently said that we are not against development, but the development has to occur in the spirit and intent of the treaty … It’s not simply sending us to mining companies to go and get impact benefit agreements.”
Federal and provincial governments have introduced legislation intended to speed up development in response to an increasingly uncertain trade relationship with the U.S. under President Donald Trump.
Both Ontario and the federal government have introduced fast-track legislation. The Ontario legislature passed Bill 5 last week and the government of Prime Minister Mark Carney plans to speed its own Bill C-5 through the House of Commons by the end of next week.
The Ontario legislation would create so-called “special economic zones” where the province can suspend provincial and municipal laws. Doug Ford’s government is expected to designate the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario as the first such zone, despite years of pushback from First Nations.
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The federal bill has two parts — one to break down federal barriers to internal trade and the other to fast-track major projects. It sets out five criteria to determine whether a project is in the “national interest.”
Chiefs in Ontario have staged protests outside Queen’s Park opposing the provincial legislation, which they say violates their rights. First Nations leaders have meanwhile warned Ottawa that it can expect to find itself in court if it doesn’t properly consult with First Nations on its own legislation.
McLeod said “shutting down the economy of Ontario is not off the table” and that if police want to “avoid another Dudley George,” they need to understand First Nations’ position.
George was shot and killed during the Ipperwash crisis of 1995, when members of the Kettle and Stony Point First Nation and their supporters occupied a provincial park built on land appropriated from the First Nation in 1942.
McLeod said he told the police that First Nations are abiding by their own laws by demonstrating against legislation while governments are breaking their treaty obligations.
“This isn’t by chance that we’re getting these bills that are almost identical,” McLeod said.
“There’s no honour in the Crown going through these processes. And it’s just going to not only trigger Ontario Idle No More 2.0, but it’s going to trigger a nationwide Idle No More.”
Idle No More was a 2012 protest movement against the omnibus Bill C-45, introduced by then-prime minister Stephen Harper’s government.
Indigenous leaders said the bill, intended to ramp up resource development, would trample on their rights while giving governments and businesses more authority to develop resources without thorough environmental assessments.
Leaders allied with the Idle No More movement staged protests, rallies and blockades on railway lines and highways and earned widespread support from across the country.
McLeod said as he explained to police the treaty relationship he says governments are breaking to police, “they looked like deer in the headlights.”
“The entire foundation of Canada was built on treaties. If you disregard those treaties, you’re disregarding Canada itself.”
The Ontario Provincial Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
McLeod said the job of chiefs to be “diplomatic” has failed, and that operations are now in the hands of the grassroots.
“They’re our soldiers on the ground who are going to be the ultimate resistance of any development in our territories, and they have spoken clearly that shutting down the economy of Ontario is not off the table,” he said.
“Meaning highways, meaning railways, meaning anything that is taken for granted in our territories.”
© 2025 The Canadian Press
The weather outside might be frightful but, depending where they live, some Ontario residents may soon get a reprieve from the snow — though only some.
Snow warnings are in effect for several parts of central and southern Ontario, with Environment Canada using its new alert system to issue yellow warnings for snowfall.
The new system now adds a colour to each weather alert — yellow, orange and red — to show the seriousness. Yellow alerts are issued when hazardous weather may cause damage or disruption, or impact health. These weather events are likely moderate, localized, and/or short term.
Current yellow warnings stretch south to cities such as London, Kitchener and Guelph, west to Manitoulin Island and north to Huntsville and Cedar Lake.
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Parts of the Greater Toronto Area are also under warnings including Peterborough, Markham, Milton and Vaughan.
These areas are forecast to see additional snowfall on Sunday, though the amounts vary. Places such as Cobourg and London expected to see two to five centimetres, while other areas, such as Kitchener and Manitoulin Island, are forecast to recieve five to 10 centimetre.
Environment Canada says the snow is expected to transition to flurries in most areas, and will likely to change to rain showers midday in several communities.
There are also several special weather statements in effect for some cities, with some, including Sault Ste Marie and West Nippissing-French River, expected to see between five and 10 additional centimetres of snow into the evening.
Those facing the snow are urged to make additional time for travel. Snow buildup will make roads and walkways difficult to navigate and visibility will be reduced.
Other cities, such as Niagara Falls, Kingston and the majority of the Golden Horseshoe, including Toronto and Hamilton, are under a special weather statement for strong winds.
Those winds are expected to begin later this morning, with strong southwesterly gusts that could hit 60 to 70 km/h. The winds will ease in the evening, but Environment Canada cautions that local utility outages are possible.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Toronto Fire crews remained on scene Saturday afternoon as a complex highrise fire at Thorncliffe Park Dr. and Overlea Blvd. continued to burn behind walls, with officials still unable to give residents a timeline for when they can go home.
Toronto Fire said they have made “positive” progress, but the blaze remains extremely difficult to access.
Acting Division Commander Robert Houston said firefighters have been “actively fighting a stubborn fire” for more than 48 hours and that early in the response they discovered “high levels of carbon monoxide throughout the building.”
All 408 units across the two towers were evacuated. No injuries have been reported.
The Red Cross is providing emergency assistance, delivering accommodations and food for 117 households and 239 people as of Saturday morning.
Officials said residents were moved from an initial hub into hotels.
One of those displaced is single mother Mohamee Muhammad, now staying with her daughter at a hotel in the Don Valley.
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They have been provided a card to buy meals but only have guaranteed accommodation until Dec. 2.
“You have to take it one day at a time,” Muhammad told Global News.
Her daughter Aisha learned about the fire from her school principal.
“I just hope we can go home back soon,” she said, adding the experience is deeply disruptive. “I wasn’t expecting this. I just thought it would be a normal day until I got the call.” She was permitted to briefly enter to retrieve her school supplies.
Another resident, Nihal Sheikh, said his wife called him while he was at work to say the building was being evacuated. They have a two-month-old and two other young children.
“Things happened suddenly,” he said. “It was so chaotic.”
He said responders escorted him upstairs to retrieve medications and diapers. “We don’t know what’s going on… we are just getting updates from fire department and police.”
Houston said temperatures and carbon monoxide levels have “successfully lowered,” but crews still “do not have eyes on the fire… just behind walls,” relying instead on heat readings and air monitoring.
He confirmed “there is no timeline” for when residents can return. “We just can’t see. We’re in the middle of trying to mitigate the situation.”
Earlier on Friday, Fire Chief Jim Jessop said the blaze is being fuelled by insulation burning “slowly” between the walls of both towers, creating “high levels of carbon monoxide” due to “incomplete combustion.” Crews had recorded readings of 850 parts per million, a life-threatening level.
Jessop said he expects it to be a “prolonged event,” with no estimate on when it will be brought under control. Once it is, it will still take firefighters another 24 hours to ensure there are no flare-ups.
Crews were first called around 1:30 p.m. Thursday to reports of “light smoke” on multiple floors at 11 Thorncliffe Park Dr., before the fire spread into the adjacent building at 21 Overlea Blvd.
City officials thanked emergency responders and urged any remaining displaced residents to contact the Red Cross, saying, “The most important thing is that everybody in this community is safe.”
– With files from Gabby Rodriguez
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Broccoli florets sold under the Your Fresh Market brand are being recalled across several provinces due to possible Salmonella contamination, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency says.
The CFIA issued the recall Friday for packaged broccoli florets distributed in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
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Consumers are urged to check their refrigerators and dispose of the product or return it to the place of purchase. The agency says the product should not be eaten, sold, served or distributed.
Food contaminated with Salmonella may look and smell normal but can still cause illness.
Symptoms can include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Young children, pregnant women, older adults and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk for severe illness.
The CFIA says anyone who believes they became sick after eating the product should contact a health-care provider.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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