I am appalled by Bill 5's…

I am appalled by Bill 5's proposals.

The protection afforded to an endangered plant extends only as far as its root zone? I have to admit that I stopped there when I began reading the Act.

I am very concerned that my Provincial Government representatives do not understand the interconnectedness of living systems, or they would not have written this into an act that purports to protect species at risk.

We know that plants rely on and interact with the ecosystems surrounding them, as do animals. People rely on all of them: for air to breathe, for food, for recreation, to mitigate the effects of climate change.

We have read so much about how bird populations and insect populations have plummeted. When an insect dies out, it may be an obligate pollinator for a plant, which will also then die out. It also works in reverse: if a plant dies out and there are insects for whom that plant is the host plant for their larvae, then we also lose those insects. We also lose the parasites that might use that insect as a host, as well as other insects, invertebrates, birds and mammals that might feed on those insects.

An ecosystem is an interconnected web, not unlike a piece of woven cloth. If a few stands are broken, the cloth will still hold together although it won't be as strong or as beautiful as when it was intact. But when many strands are broken or are entirely removed, the cloth disintegrates.

I know that the basis for a strong, vibrant, healthy Ontario is the natural world. It is the foundation on which everything else we do is built.

Please maintain and improve protections for nature, so that our own future will be richer for it.

I sincerely hope that you speak for the living world, and not just for those people whose aim is to make lots of money by disregarding what is most important in all of our lives.