Expert oversight on projects…

Expert oversight on projects that may negatively impact endangered species is critical to ensuring endangered species do not become extinct. Putting the responsibility on proponents to meet provincial requirements without ministry review will fall short of protecting endangered species. Biological/ecological consultants supporting proponent's projects do not have the capacity to complete quality work on budget and on time all the time and/or are pressured by proponents to reduce ecological constraints identified in environmental impact studies. Inevitably, for proper ecological consulting to be completed with this added responsibility, cost for development will increase. Instead, the province should aim to employ more qualified staff to reduce review times for permits.