I am concerned that the…

I am concerned that the government is able to determine species at risk. This seems to be a conflict of interest in the case of a government political agenda that is focussed on large scale development projects like the new 400 series highway that is going to run through critical habitat and farmland. Doesn’t the ability of the government to remove species from “at risk” allow them excessive power to forward development at the cost of critical wildlife? While I understand wanting to create efficiency in the permitting process I am concerned that this new proposal allows development without any checks/balances. What protection is in place if companies can basically start development with submission of a form “Under the new registration system, proponents will be able to get projects started as soon as they have completed their online registration, provided they are following the rules in regulation”. Again this seems to prioritize urban development at the cost of any kind of protection. Why are we so committed to urban sprawl at the expense of habitat instead of committing to infrastructure that would make our communities more livable, walkable and less car dependent?