As a biologist, an Ontarian,…

As a biologist, an Ontarian, a farmer, a landowner, and young person who has great hopes for Ontario's future, I oppose the proposed changes to the endangered species act. You are weakening the act in favour of economic greed and small economic gains This is short-sighted. Giving up any small piece of Ontario's biodiversity is not wise policy and you should be doing better. You should be doing everything you can to form economically sound ways to conserve SAR.

Reducing protection for species whose geographical regions stretch outside of Ontario is unwise. For example, the carolinian species, whose ranges in Ontario are small, and many of whom are currently listed as SAR, should not have their listing status downgraded sinply because they exist outside of this country. Species that we have been working to protect should not lose protection in our province in the hope that the United States will protect them. Species such as the Hognose snake and five-lined skink carolinian population are valuable and incredible resources in this province, and to step back from protecting them is unwise, and will be regrettable.

Additionally, the loss of automatic habitat protection accompanying the listing of a species is going to be a huge and costly, inefficient move to make. Having standardized habitat protections that accompany listing a species is helpful in understanding and implementing the ESA. These habitat protections have been developed with science and best practices in mind. To remove these and move to a "case by case" discretionary basis will cause a great rise in T\the cost and length of each species listing process, an economic inefficiency sure to be unappreciated by Ontarians.

You should be working to create policies that pay rather than punish land owners for having SAR habitat on their property. Having a SAR on your property is currently seen as a burden by many of my peers, and instead of weakening the ESA you should be working to incentivize conservation. For example, for many farmers, a badger on their property is essentially a huge loss of profit to them, as they lose the use of some of their land. What, do you think, happens to those badgers? Do you think they are reported, or do you think that they are more likely to mysteriously "disappear"?

Economic activity at the cost of SAR habitat is not worth it. Develop the economy here responsibly, and with an eye to conservation and longevity rather than short term gain.

These changes to the ESA do not have my support.