As a life long Ontarian, I…

As a life long Ontarian, I STRONGLY OPPOSE bill 5. Ontario is already experiencing a biodiversity crisis and it’s time that the government start to work harder to preserve our already burdened ecosystems while continuing to grow and prosper. The Endangered Species Act should NOT be repealed but instead should be strengthened. The definition of habitat should be maintained as is, or expanded, but NOT reduced in any way. And there should NEVER be ANY exemptions or loop holes provided for development, of any type, over the health and well-being of a species-at-risk, an endangered species or the habitats that they need to survive. There should be even more stringent environmental assessments completed before ANY and ALL development activity, of any kind. All development activity on, above, or below the land or water of Ontario should be done in consultation with the indigenous peoples who live on the land being altered or developed. This includes, but is not limited to, highway building, clear cutting, mining, housing developments, building factories, the lease and development of public land for a spa, and urban sprawl - to name a few.

It’s time that our government and industries are forced to develop creative ideas for growing our economy while not destroying the limited natural resources and environments that remain. The Ontario government and businesses should be required to meet higher levels of environmental protections that not only protect the environment while developing it but also to implement recovery strategies surrounding the development project bolstering the health of the environment adjacent to the project.

To summarize:

I oppose bill 5.
I oppose short cuts for industry with no public oversight.
I want stronger environmental and endangered species protections.
I oppose overwriting the law in special economic zones.

Ontario needs to discover ways to be economically successful with stronger ecological protections than we currently have.