The overall tack of the…

The overall tack of the proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is that the Minister will now be the primary decision maker, and the input from qualified experts (e.g. members of COSSARO) will be secondary in importance. In review of the bio of the current government's Minster of Environment, Rod Philips, there is no evidence of experience of credentials that would enable anything resembling an informed decision. Absent any scientific perspective, the minister's discretion could only serve to advance the 'open for business' agenda. At a time when it is abundantly evident that ALL governments need to be doing more to reduce our impact on biodiversity, the proposed changes to the ESA will be doing the opposite. This is simply a bad decision, and not in the interest of Ontario.