I am writing as a concerned…

I am writing as a concerned resident and advocate for environmental protection to express my strong opposition to Ontario’s proposed Bill 5, which threatens the integrity of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and undermines decades of progress in protecting our province’s most vulnerable wildlife.

Bill 5 proposes alarming changes that would weaken science-based decision-making, fast-track development at the expense of critical habitats, and shift the focus away from genuine conservation to economic expediency. Ontario is home to over 200 species at risk, and dismantling core protections for these plants and animals puts ecosystems—and the services they provide to people—at grave risk.

The changes outlined in Bill 5 contradict Ontario’s stated commitment to biodiversity and climate resilience. By allowing developers to circumvent habitat protections through ministerial discretion, the bill threatens to create irreversible damage to wetlands, forests, and other sensitive ecosystems that endangered species depend on for survival.

I urge you, as a leader committed to the long-term health of Ontario’s people and environment, to oppose Bill 5 and stand up for a science-based, precautionary approach to conservation. Protecting endangered species is not only a legal obligation—it is a moral one.

Please act decisively to reject Bill 5 and work toward strengthening, not weakening, Ontario’s environmental protections.