Dear Premier Ford and…

Dear Premier Ford and Members of Cabinet,

I am writing as a concerned Ontarian and voter to express my opposition to the government’s proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act, 2007, and the introduction of a new Species Conservation Act, 2025.

These changes are being positioned as a way to speed up housing construction and reduce red tape—but that claim does not hold up to evidence or experience. Weakening environmental protections won’t make housing more affordable, and it won’t get homes built faster in the communities that need them most.

In fact, these changes will:

Open the door for more costly sprawl, far from jobs, transit, and services—adding to infrastructure bills that taxpayers ultimately pay.
Delay real housing solutions by distracting from the urgent need for density, rental supply, and affordability in existing urban areas.
Jeopardize farmland, wetlands, and natural spaces that provide essential flood protection, clean air, and water—things our communities depend on and cannot afford to lose.
Undermine science-based decision-making, removing automatic habitat protections and replacing them with vague “alternative pathways” that favour short-term development interests over long-term sustainability.
Most Ontarians agree we need more housing. But gutting environmental safeguards is not the way to get there. Conservation and responsible development are not mutually exclusive—they must go hand in hand if we want to build livable, resilient, and affordable communities.

Premier Ford, your government has said it wants to leave Ontario better than you found it. Fast-tracking developments by paving over species protections is not leadership—it’s short-sighted. I urge you to withdraw these proposals and refocus your housing strategy on where the real barriers are: land speculation, exclusionary zoning, and lack of investment in affordable, mixed-use, transit-oriented housing.

Please choose real solutions over false shortcuts.

Sincerely,
Alexandra