Bill 5, if enacted, would…

Bill 5, if enacted, would undermine any and all attempts to protect Ontario's Species at Risk, at a time when rapidly increasing biodiversity loss is already a serious threat to the conditions necessary for the existence of both humans and ecosystems. Species cannot and must not be taken individually but as a vital part of ecosystems. Therefore such loss affects nutrient cycling, soil formation, carbon sequestration, pollination, water and air filtration, among many other ecosystem functions and processes. Hence, biodiversity loss directly affects the very foundations of human well-being and threatens global stability by jeopardising our food systems, water security, human health, economic systems and cultural heritage.
• The Bill would repeal the Endangered Species Act, leaving in its place a shell that contains no meaningful rules for species protection. The Bill would also hand virtually unlimited power to the Provincial Cabinet, through the proposed Special Economic Zones Act.
• Bill 5, if passed, would provide Cabinet the power to decide which species deserve protection, effectively making protection a political choice, not a scientific one. And politicians have no expertise in ecosystems and their preservation.
• The new law would define animal “habitat” to mean only the nest, den, or immediate area around it — not the forests, wetlands or feeding grounds they need to survive… it is so narrow that it would virtually ensure continued decline, extinction, or extirpation.
• Right now, developers must apply for permits when projects threaten species or their habitat. These are reviewed by environmental experts and come with requirements to reduce harm. Under Bill 5, that process is replaced by an online registration form. Once a company clicks “submit,” they’re free to start building - No review, no obligation to consider safer alternatives. It’s a developer’s dream and an environmental nightmare.