I strongly oppose the…

I strongly oppose the proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act, 2007, and the introduction of the Species Conservation Act, 2025. This is not a conservation framework — it is deregulation disguised as reform. The government’s proposal strips away meaningful protections for Ontario’s most vulnerable species under the false pretense of “efficiency” and “balance.”

Here’s what’s really happening:

This is a Developer-First, Species-Last Policy. The move to a “registration-first” model gives industries the green light to start potentially harmful activities before environmental impacts are reviewed. It prioritizes construction timelines over the survival of at-risk species and eliminates the precautionary principle from environmental decision-making.

It Politicizes Science. By giving the government discretion over which species are protected — even after science-based assessments by COSSARO — this proposal opens the door to political interference and ignores ecological realities. Science must drive species protection, not political convenience.

It Guts Habitat Protections. The new, narrower definition of “habitat” drastically reduces what is protected. Habitat fragmentation is a leading cause of species decline — weakening this definition puts countless species at greater risk.

It Erases Accountability. Eliminating mandatory recovery strategies, progress reviews, and the advisory committee means the public loses transparency, and the government loses any obligation to act. “Flexibility” here is a euphemism for inaction.

It Removes Proven Tools Without Real Replacements. Winding down the Species Conservation Action Agency, eliminating species conservation charges, and replacing them with vague, voluntary programs is not a strategy — it’s abandonment. There’s no evidence that voluntary stewardship alone can safeguard species at risk.

It Ignores the Climate and Biodiversity Crisis. Ontario’s ecosystems are already under pressure from climate change and habitat loss. This proposal further weakens their ability to adapt and survive.

Ontario should be strengthening — not dismantling — its endangered species protections. These changes serve private interests, not public or ecological ones, and they make it easier to destroy habitats than to preserve them.

I urge the Ministry to withdraw this proposal entirely and recommit to a science-driven, precautionary, and enforceable conservation framework that upholds the intent and integrity of the original Endangered Species Act, 2007.