I am deeply concerned about…

I am deeply concerned about the proposals contained within this bill, particularly as they impact endangered species and seek to rush through building applications without thorough oversight.
Animal habitat is not just nest or den areas as the bill suggests- animals need connected corridors to hunt and forage for food, to find mates and to express other natural behaviors that impact their quality of life and likelihood of survival. Hemming in habitats with large scale development will inevitably lead to species loss.
Moreover, building million dollar freestanding homes on green spaces is NOT the answer to our housing crisis, as all evidence demonstrates. This government has many other options including increasing housing density in downtown areas, addressing permitting issues to permit unused office space to be used for housing without having to be replaced, and creating caps on rental fees to support low and middle income renters.
No one in Ontario wants to live in a giant building site. Access to nature and coexistence with animals is critical to human quality of life. More roads, mines and McMansions is simply creating a concrete, dystopian state that will drive families toward other provinces. I urge this government to reconsider this short-sighted legislation and to prioritize the creation of a province that is not only affordable, but also desirable to live in.
Please refer to the linked meta study below that demonstrates clear evidence of the importance of nature to human wellbeing.