Dear Premier Ford, I…

Dear Premier Ford,

I strongly oppose Bill 5: the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act and its deeply concerning
proposals, including the weakening of Ontario’s endangered species protection and the creation of
Special Economic Zones.

The Special Economic Zones Act (Schedule 9) would allow the Provincial Cabinet to grant exemptions
from municipal and provincial regulations for certain proponents and projects. This gives the Cabinet
unprecedented powers and is unacceptable.

The new Species Conservation Act (Schedules 2 & 10) would strip away real protections for at-risk
species and their habitats. We are in a biodiversity crisis and climate crisis. Now is the time to double
down on protecting vulnerable species at risk and critical habitats, rather than weakening protections.
These changes proposed in Bill 5 may also undermine Indigenous communities’ right to free, prior, and
informed consent for projects taking place on their territories.

Commercial tourism may be negatively impacted by Bill 5 and the potential increase in forest
degradation or industrial use, given the large number of travelers both Canadian and international who visit the boreal forest for recreational purposes.

I urge your government to:
● Cancel Bill 5 and the plans to scrap the Endangered Species Act or implement
“regulation-free zones” for resource extraction.
● Commit to strengthening the Endangered Species Act.

As a citizen of the United States of America who regularly contributes to the Ontarian economy through commercial tourism for recreational purposes, I urge you to safeguard the valuable natural resources of Ontario.

Revisions to conservation and environmental protections of the sort being proffered in the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act smack of the same sort underhanded shenanigans that we're seeing from extremist minions of the Trump administration. I'd like to believe Canada in general, and Ontario in particular, are better than that.