As someone who is in their…

As someone who is in their final year of a Bachelors of Science in Zoology at the University of Guelph, and therefore has detailed knowledge of how important conservation is (which is far more than most legislators, even with a currently incomplete degree), I believe these proposed changes are despicable. Most members of government do not have the education required to even suggest what species should be added/removed to COSSARO, much less remove species at risk at their own discretion. The opportunity for abusing this proposed new power is astronomical and it should not be afforded to those that barely understand basic ecology. On top of this redefining habitats to only include a dwelling place and the immediate area that is essential to a species is not the correct definition of a habitat. A habitat is a well established ecological term that includes the entire area a species uses, not just what some legislators decide is “essential”. Believing that the rules that the ESA set are too rigid clearly shows how little legislators understand the importance of conservation and the strict rules that NEED to be implemented in order to truly conserve a habitat and the species within it. Again, the government does not have the education required to make these decisions, and removing the requirements to develop recovery strategies (and other ESA guideline) will greatly harm habitats and put species already at risk, at a far greater risk. Recovery strategies are essential to preserving a species, and have been proven to work. What the government is proposing has not, and again will greatly and irreparably harm native flora and fauna in Ontario. I am completely disgusted and appalled by this government and these proposed changes that effectively will remove the proper protections species at risk require, just so the uneducated government can impose their will on an area that they clearly know nothing about. This is deplorable. I may not have my degree yet, but even with my current and limited education/experience, even I can tell that these changes with greatly harm Ontarios ecosystems. Where any experts even consulted, or did they exclude that just so they can show their complete incompetence in this area so that others can see why it’s an AWFUL idea for them to have more control over this. I am disgusted.