Editorials - Jan. 2, 2026
Stripped away
Bill 5 is the gift that just keeps on giving to Ontario developers. Ontario’s Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025, is a law designed to speed up major infrastructure, mining and development projects by cutting regulations.
According to a recent CBC News story, “The Ontario government has quietly given itself the power to override archaeological protections on development sites.” By putting First Nations cultural and burial sites under political control and no longer requiring mandatory archaeological assessments, experts and First Nations are sounding the alarm that Indigenous history will be expendable, all in the name of economic growth.
Conservationists have been saying that the bill dismantles protection for vulnerable ecosystems and now archaeologists warn the powers included in this legislation could let significant historic sites be erased before they’re even discovered.
The Ontario Home Builders’ Association claims that their members routinely engage historical and archaeological professionals, but critics warn that relying on due diligence by builders to protect vulnerable sites is a slippery slope. Ontario needs growth, but tearing down the protections for the environment, agriculture and cultural heritage is too high a price to pay. – DS
An inconvenient truth
As Ukraine continues to wrestle with Vladimir Putin on one side and Donald Trump on the other (though some see Putin and Trump as more of a tag team than individual participants in a triple-threat match) President Volodymyr Zelenskyy often finds himself nickel-and-diming with the future of his country. It’s reported that he’s asked for a 50-year security guarantee from the U.S.A., only for Trump to offer 15.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy’s meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney saw him come away with another $2.5 billion in defence assurances from Canada. While some see this as an essential step towards securing an ally and planting Canada’s foot in the sand firmly on the side that says annexation, in all its forms, is a bad thing, others will see it as a financially-unstable nation giving even more of its money to someone else. There are needs at home, of course, but, as Canada has slowly turned away from the U.S. and towards a welcoming Europe, Canada needs to do its part, as it has since the war began.
Furthermore, this establishes Canada as a solid ally for Ukraine and Europe at a time when fewer and fewer countries look upon the United States of America as friendly and certainly not as reliable and stable with an emboldened Trump at the helm. So, on one hand, Zelenskyy has Trump telling reporters that Putin “wants Ukraine to succeed”, a laughable claim if it wasn’t so very dangerous, and on the other he has a stable Canadian federal government who stands not only with Ukraine, but also with its newly chummy European allies. The war must end, but what will be lost remains the question. – SL
Looking ahead
The calendar has only just turned and 2026 is still more promise than proof. The first days of a new year invite reflection, but they also demand restraint. Grand declarations rarely survive contact with reality. What serves us better is an optimism that is hopeful without being naive and realistic without being resigned.
Canada starts this year facing challenges that did not disappear behind the holiday decorations. The cost of living continues to weigh on household budgets. Housing remains out of reach for many people, particularly younger Canadians. Public services are stretched, shaped by an aging population and years of difficult trade-offs. Beyond our borders, geopolitical uncertainty remains a fact of life, with consequences that reach even a relatively stable country like ours.
The political climate may finally be ready for a reset. Voters appear increasingly wary of constant confrontation and simplified outrage. There is a desire for seriousness, stability, competence and honesty about constraints. Leaders who acknowledge complexity, rather than denying it, may find more support than conventional wisdom suggests.
None of this means the year ahead will be smooth. Setbacks are inevitable and progress will be uneven. The question for 2026 is not whether problems will arise, but how we will respond when they do.
There is reason, even on Jan. 2, to believe that steady progress remains within reach. Much of it will come from local decisions, practical co-operation and unglamorous work carried out away from national spotlights. That is often how meaningful change begins.
As this new year starts, cautious optimism is not a lack of ambition. It is an expression of confidence that we can do better, step by step. If 2026 is marked by co-operation where possible, honest disagreement where necessary and a willingness to keep moving forward, it will be a great year indeed. – SBS