I strongly oppose the…

I strongly oppose the proposed changes to Ontario’s Endangered Species Act and the creation of the Species Conservation Act. These changes represent a significant rollback of environmental protections and threaten the survival of some of Ontario’s most vulnerable wildlife and habitats.

The Endangered Species Act, 2007, was internationally recognized for its science-based approach and clear timelines for protecting species and their habitats. The proposed legislative overhaul undermines the very foundation of this law by:

Weakening Habitat Protection: The changes would allow for the decoupling of species recovery from habitat protection, permitting development to proceed in critical habitats under vague and discretionary conditions.

Undermining Scientific Integrity: By shifting decision-making authority from the independent Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO) to political or bureaucratic control, the proposal undermines the role of science in conservation decisions.

Creating Dangerous Precedents through the Species Conservation Act: The new Act appears designed to facilitate “offsetting” and “conservation banking” schemes that allow harm to species and habitat in exchange for vague or unproven future benefits elsewhere. This approach commodifies extinction risk and enables destruction in ecologically sensitive areas with little accountability.

Delaying Recovery Action: Proposed changes eliminate mandatory timelines for government response statements and habitat regulations, enabling indefinite delays in implementing species recovery strategies.

Prioritizing Development Over Conservation: The cumulative effect of the proposed changes is to shift the purpose of endangered species legislation away from protection and recovery, and toward facilitating industrial, resource extraction, and infrastructure interests — even when these activities directly threaten species at risk.

These changes are not compatible with Ontario’s responsibilities under the Canadian Constitution, nor with our commitments under federal and international biodiversity frameworks such as the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Ontario’s biodiversity is not a barrier to development — it is a legacy and a public trust that must be safeguarded. I urge the Government of Ontario to abandon these regressive changes, recommit to science-based environmental law, and uphold the intent and integrity of the Endangered Species Act to ensure that future generations can live in a province that values and protects its natural heritage.