This entire proposal is a…

This entire proposal is a huge step in the wrong direction, removing protections, oversight, and allowing for extreme abuses of power by the government. The environment and endangered species are essential to the protection of our planet and our ability to combat climate change. Removing these protections risks the future of all Ontarians and our planet.
- Removing the requirement of permits and allowing activity to begin immediately after registration is insane. This is extremely dangerous to endangered species as no oversight will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage to species and their habitats.
- Giving the government the ability to remove endangered species from the list of protected species makes absolutely no sense. These lists should be ONLY science based. Giving politicians the ability to make uninformed decisions about the environment could lead to abuse of power and irreparable damage to the environment, risking the future stability of the province and the planet.
- New changes under the Species Conservation Act do nothing to protect the environment or the species, if registration is the only requirement. This is removing essential environmental protections recklessly and jeopardizing the future of biodiversity and the environment, which are essential for the future of the province and the planet.
- Federal oversight through similar legislation is still necessary as Environment Canada is looking at environmental protections at a national level, whereas provincial legislation may not consider cross-provincial issues and interactions at a larger scale. We must work together as a whole to protect our land and secure our future.
- Removing the requirement for proper planning and documentation (recovery strategies and management plans, government response statements, and reviews of progress) and recovery products removes essential steps and oversight. The government has no proposed replacement documentation, which will harm the environment and our ability to regulate, repair and study what has been done and why.
- The language of this proposal already indicates that the government knows this will lead to damage to the environment. “If harm to species occurs, the ministry has to tools to enforce the law and hold proponents to account.” IF HARM OCCURS IT’S ALREADY TOO LATE. We cannot trust this government to make proper concessions as we have already with the Greenbelt scandal. This government should have already resigned for the atrocities they have committed.