Ontario has more than 230…

Ontario has more than 230 species that are at risk, threatened, or endangered. There are more that are now completely extirpated. This bill will only hasten the extirpation and extinction of species that make us unique and special. Removing protections is shortsighted, and we won't have the benefit of hindsight. I want to raise my children in a province that wants to work with proven scientific guidelines and environmental protections when building infrastructure. Allowing developers to begin work without any community or expert consultation will only lead to greater costs in the future - environmental costs, ethical costs, and remediation costs. This Bill is just another in a long line of other bills that are only benefiting a few people at the expense of our beautiful province.

Our biodiversity benefits our economy - through tourism, fishing, agriculture, and forestry. Removing protections will diminish the valuable environment that we have here. Removing all the stops goes against the recommendations of science organizations, government recommendations, and even the United Nations. Removing protections can lead to loss of biodiversity, but also instability in food systems and reduction in clean water sources. The protections are there to protect us, and removing them goes against scientific fact. This bill also goes against all strategies working to protect Ontario and make us more resilient.