Please don’t move forward…

Please don’t move forward with Bill 5.

There are alarming changes proposed in Bill 5, The Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025. If passed, this bill would repeal Ontario's Endangered Species Act, 2007, replacing it with a drastically weakened framework for the protection of our province's vulnerable species.

The proposed Species Conservation Act, 2025 will devastate wildlife protection through several concerning changes not limited to:

* Narrowing of Protected Habitats: The new definition of a habitat reduces protected areas to only immediate surroundings, ignoring crucial feeding grounds and migration corridors that species depend on for survival– these loopholes expose endangered species to the threat of extinction without directly "killing" them.

* Political Control Over Species Protection: The government will gain unprecedented power to decide which endangered species get added or removed from protection lists on the basis of political and economic considerations rather than reality.

* Lack of Oversight: Developers can begin harmful activities immediately after self-registration without ministry review or approval. Crucial environmental assessments will be eliminated before damage occurs, with inadequate penalties.

We are in the midst of a housing affordability crisis. There is an abundance of research that points towards mixed-use development, retrofitting communities around multi-modal transit, and cracking down on speculation and house hoarding as solutions to this crisis. Ontario's biodiversity faces unprecedented threats from habitat loss, climate change, and development pressures. Punishing wildlife is not an option that Ontarians should be willing to accept.

Please do not move forward with this bill. Habitats are lovingly cultivated over decades through a slow, intentional process– they do not deserve to be ripped apart due to negligence. Ontario should be a leader in species protection, not taking steps backward that prioritize short-term economic interests that only benefit the wealthy few.