I am writing to express my…

I am writing to express my disdain for Bill 5. This movement is an extremely dangerous and misinformed approach to improvement and growth of Ontario. Please understand the danger a bill such as this could cause to the province. Species-at-risk are of major importance to our communities, our province, our country, and globally. Projects for Ontario’s economic benefit continue to put species of all kinds in danger. The Endangered Species Act is the singular piece of provincial legislation that provides a voice for species and their habitats in Ontario, as they are unable to advocate for themselves.

I have had experience working as a species-at-risk field assistant, and a specialist in species-at-risk. I have recently moved to Ontario to pursue further education in biology, and have fallen in love with the landscape, the plant, and animal species. My passion for species-at-risk protection has motivated me to continuously strive for more advocation and awareness surrounding the importance of conservation. Bill 5 does not support this passion that I and so many other Ontarians have, and furthermore, sends the province of Ontario backwards in progress. I was excited to move to Ontario initially, but now I do not know that this province represents what I stand for.

The following is a summary of the major reasons why Bill 5 is an extremely dangerous, misguided, and ignorant choice for the province of Ontario.

1. Tourism
• Canada’s largest draw for tourism is our beautiful nature. Ontario is not exempt from this. I have visited many different parts of Ontario, and each corner has its own species diversity and beautiful landscape. Although the big cities bring in tourists for various reasons, the nature is a huge draw for everyone visiting. To create irreversible damage to ecosystems in Ontario would discourage tourism, especially to more rural areas of the province who are reliant on visitors to support their economy. Ontarians themselves also appreciate the nature that our province has, and if the province is not supporting natural spaces, we will choose to travel elsewhere.

2. Future Generations
• For reasons unbeknownst to me, Bill 5 actively supports a lower quality of life for future generations. It is a widely known concept that higher levels of biodiversity support stronger ecosystems. Humans tend to forget that we are also apart of the ecosystem, and therefore feel the negative and positive effects that come with that. Unstable ecosystems with lower levels of biodiversity are more susceptible to natural disasters such as flooding, forest fires, and spread of disease. These effects lead to issues in our communities, such as agricultural loss, loss of housing, lack of clean drinking water, and healthcare shortages. Therefore, biodiversity is crucial to support the world around us. In addition, Bill 5 encourages less renewable energy initiatives within Ontario. Does this seem reasonable in our world today, when we are feeling more climate change impacts than ever before? The burning of fossil fuels will not sustain us forever, and the need to develop strong renewable energy sources for our province to rely on is more necessary than ever before. Therefore, Bill 5 means that we are actively choosing to expose our children to a world with lower air quality, more pandemics, lower economic growth, and a lower quality of life.

3. Indigenous Culture
• The progress towards reconciliation with Indigenous people in Canada has been slow. Indigenous people provide Ontario and all of Canada with important knowledge on the history of the land. However, it is not just about what Indigenous people provide us, it is important that their culture and values are represented throughout Canada. Bill 5 discourages this, and sends us backwards in progress towards reconciliation—specifically by ending archeological assessment requirements. Culture is an important piece of Canada and Ontario itself. We all have our own distinct cultural backgrounds that we can feel free to express here. Not all countries have this privilege. Taking this away from Indigenous people in Ontario is not something that I would imagine the province considering in 2025.

4. Economic Growth
• Bill 5 offers a band-aid solution for economic growth. It is designed for short-term goals. How can we expect our province to be run on short-term goals if there is no consideration to the long-term effects? Perhaps Bill 5 supports economic growth in the short-term, but I can guarantee that the long-term will not produce those same results. We will be facing more climate change impacts than we ever have before in the future, and Bill 5 will not support our need for sustainable economic growth. There is no point in enacting Bill 5 to build more developments in a short time frame if it will not support our economy in the long run. Sustainability is key as we move forward in Ontario.

There are more reasons why Bill 5 is not a suitable choice for the province of Ontario, but for the sake of conciseness I will not expand further. I will finish with a question that I encourage the reader to ponder: What was the original purpose of Ontario’s Endangered Species Act? Instead of answering this personally, I will turn to the preamble of this act that is currently live on Ontario’s website. It starts with the following:
“Biological diversity is among the great treasures of our planet. It has ecological, social, economic, cultural and intrinsic value. Biological diversity makes many essential contributions to human life, including foods, clothing and medicines, and is an important part of sustainable social and economic development.”
These few sentences alone encompass some major reasons as to why Ontario enacted the Endangered Species Act. In 2007, the province of Ontario had the ability to recognize the need for an act to protect species-at-risk and their habitats. I cannot understand why 18 years later, the leaders of Ontario have lost the ability to recognize its importance.

Thank you for your time and consideration.