To whom this may concern, I…

To whom this may concern,

I am a member of a wetland ecology research lab at an Ontario university, though more pertinently I am a concerned citizen. I am concerned that the revision of the ESA will result in politicization and loss of protections for endangered species in Ontario. Protecting species diversity, including those currently endangered, across Ontario is vital to the protection of our ecosystems which not only provide ecosystem services like groundwater quality but also represent the identity of Ontario. After consulting literature produced by the Environmental Commission of Ontario, I have a few points I would like to bring to your attention:

Changing the law to allow ministerial discretion in automatic protections of species is not necessary.
- Listing of species as endangered by COSSARO should and already does result in automatic protection of the species under the ESA; no changes in the listing for protection of species are necessary. Listing of endangered species should remain based on science and not politics, and there is already a system in place for review of a listing if "credible scientific information" exists.

Existing protections should be enforced and the permit process does not require revision.
- There already exists flexibility in the ESA permit authorization process; new legislation is not necessary for an efficient authorization process. However, proper implementation should be exercised in the future. Permits that do not in fact meet requirements must be denied. To date, the MNRF has never denied a permit.

New legislation is not necessary for effective protection of endangered species, only the proper implementation of existing laws within the ESA. Please, consider not damaging the effectiveness of the ESA by allowing business to circumvent the laws already in place and harm endangered species and out environment as a whole.

Thanks you for your time.