The Endangered Species Act …

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is Ontario’s only comprehensive law protecting terrestrial wildlife. Outside of limited protected areas, there are no other binding provincial protections for the vast majority of species. Replacing the ESA with the Species Conservation Act strips away the scientific foundation of species protection, allowing the government to prioritize economic and industrial interests over the survival of species and ecosystems. Most land in Ontario is under provincial or private ownership, meaning that federal protections—limited to federal lands—do not apply in most cases. This proposal would also remove federally listed species from automatic protection in Ontario, creating dangerous gaps. Further, it undermines the role of science by eliminating the authority of COSSARO to independently assess and list species at risk. The dismantling of the Species Conservation Action Agency (SCAA) and the loss of its dedicated funding mechanism for species recovery further erode accountability, replacing it with discretionary and less transparent funding.

The ESA’s original intent was clear and remains critical. As stated in the Act: “The purposes of this Act are: (1) To identify species at risk based on the best available scientific information, including information obtained from community knowledge and aboriginal traditional knowledge. (2) To protect species that are at risk and their habitats, and to promote the recovery of species that are at risk. (3) To promote stewardship activities to assist in the protection and recovery of species that are at risk.” The current proposal betrays these goals. It narrows the definition of habitat to an ecologically meaningless level—limited to a root zone or a single nest—failing to recognize the full range of space and resources species need to survive and recover. It removes harassment protections, leaving species more vulnerable even within remaining habitats. Perhaps most concerning, it removes the requirement for recovery strategies, which are essential to halting and reversing species decline. Without science-based recovery planning, species at risk in Ontario are left without a path forward.