Ontario’s shift to a …

Ontario’s shift to a “registration first” model is sold as a way to speed up approvals and cut red tape for housing, transit, and other projects by letting proponents begin work as soon as they register online. However, environmental groups warn this streamlined approach replaces careful, science based permit reviews with a simple box checking exercise weakening the oversight needed to protect species at risk.

By redefining “habitat” to include only an animal’s den, nest or the immediate root zone around a plant, the bill strips away protections for the larger foraging, migration, and breeding areas that animals and plants need to survive and recover. Removing “harass” from the list of prohibited harms further blurs the line between legal and destructive actions, opening the door to habitat loss under the guise of compliance.

The proposed law also hands unprecedented discretion to Cabinet to add or remove species from Ontario’s protected list sidestepping COSSARO’s independent, science based assessments and risking delays or denials of protection for newly threatened plants and animals. By repealing mandatory recovery strategies, management plans, and progress reviews, Bill 5 removes the enforceable timelines and targets that drive species back from the brink. This is particularly troubling for First Nations, who rely on hunting, fishing, and gathering of vulnerable species to maintain food sovereignty and cultural traditions. Declines in fish and wildlife populations worsen food insecurity in off reserve Indigenous communities and development driven habitat loss from mining or dams further blocks access to traditional food sources. This is not a part of reconciliation this is breaking relationships and making it harder to work together.

I fully support expanding the Species Conservation Program to up to $20 million per year for voluntary habitat restoration, research, and community initiatives. But no amount of funding can replace strong, legally binding safeguards and rigorous enforcement. Without clear rules and independent scientific oversight, Ontario’s at risk species and the First Nations whose food sovereignty depends on them will remain highly vulnerable, and many may never recover.