As an immigrant to Ontario …

As an immigrant to Ontario (and Canada), I am deeply saddened and concerned about the proposed replacement of the Endangered Species Act with Bill 5, 'Protect Ontario by Unleashing our economy'.

The bill will hasten Southern Ontario's descent into a dirty urban wasteland. So many other Western countries have already made the mistake of ruining their wild spaces, and this bill will help ensure Ontario joins them soon.

By removing the protections that the ESA currently grant to countless species across the province, Doug Ford and his government are condemning many to guaranteed extinction. For what benefit? So that rich developers can get richer faster? I see hundreds of viable unused spaces around my city of Niagara Falls, hundreds of derelict buildings and disused factories that could be repurposed for homes if more housing were truly the goal of the government.

I take extreme pride in how Ontario has been able to walk the line between growth and preservation of the natural world. I take pride in the wild spaces that exist even within city limits, thanks to the protections the ESA grants endangered species. My pride in Ontario will be destroyed if Bill 5 passes, and just like the trees it promises to fell for soulless strip malls, my pride won't ever grow back.

Please reconsider support for passing this bill and repealing the protections of the ESA. Please consider the irreversible damage you will be condemning this province to. Please consider what sort of Ontario you will be leaving for your children and grandchildren to inherit when the golden horseshoe is forever paved grey.

Let's allow Ontario to grow organically and alongside the beautiful wild spaces I and 16 million others cherish so dearly.