Dear Premier Ford and…

Dear Premier Ford and Members of the Ontario Government,

I am writing to express my deep concern and strong opposition to the proposed removal of the Endangered Species Act as outlined in Bill 5. This move threatens not only the delicate ecosystems across our province but also the values and memories that many Ontarians, including myself, hold dear.

I grew up in the Halton region, where I spent countless hours hiking along the Bruce Trail and exploring the protected natural areas that define the landscape. These places are where I formed a lifelong connection to nature—where I have watched our beautiful east coast birds migrate through the GTA and Niagara escarpment, listened to the calls of frogs in the spring, helped turtles cross our roads, learned to appreciate the quiet and beauty around. It's always been my safe space. These areas around the GTA are home to unique and vulnerable species that are found nowhere else. Their rarity makes them not only biologically important but spiritually valuable to those of us who have walked among them.

The proposed gutting of the Endangered Species Act is not just an environmental issue—it is a moral one. In a time of increasing climate instability and biodiversity loss, Ontario should be leading the way in protection and stewardship, not rolling back hard-won environmental safeguards. Our government’s repeated decisions to cut social services, underfund healthcare, and dismantle environmental, and being conned into building a mega spa and paying for it with our taxpayers dollars show a pattern of favouring short-term gain for developers over long-term, inclusive solutions.

These brazen, greedy acts are absolutely disgusting. I honestly feel ashamed to be living in Ontario under such leadership as this. How can such decisions be justified when they ignore both the legal and moral obligations we have to protect our environment and honour Indigenous stewardship not to mention workers safety on these propose job sites?

It is increasingly clear that this government is not acting with an awareness of the bigger picture. Our ecosystems, communities, and future generations are all intertwined—yet those connections are being severed in the name of short-term profit.

There are ways to move forward that include everyone—people, wildlife, and future generations. Development and environmental responsibility do not have to be at odds.

The creatures at risk due to this legislation cannot speak for themselves. But this does not mean they don’t matter. We share this world with them. Their homes—already fragmented and strained by human expansion—may be lost forever if we fail to act.

Please reconsider this dangerous and irreversible direction. Protect the Endangered Species Act. Protect what is still left. And show the people of Ontario that our natural heritage matters. We will be watching.