I am writing to express my…

I am writing to express my opposition to the interim changes to the Endangered Species Act, 2007 and the proposal to replace it with the Species Conservation Act, 2025.
I worked in the environmental consulting field for over 30 years. Delays due to ESA Permits were primarily due to inadequate staffing and delays at the provincial government. Although the permitting process could be cumbersome, the process was flawed in that there were no staff available early in the process to guide and advise a proponent. And once a government staff person was finally assigned to a project, they had multiple projects to deal with due to understaffing. This was a significant factor in the 'delays'. Registrations sound good on paper - but aren't worth anything if there are no staff to enforce them and habitat is destroyed before information can be collected or documented.
The current government wants to change environmental rules to suit their pet projects, regardless of the environmental cost. Whatever happened to a sustainable approach to development.
Once species are gone, they are gone forever - habitats are more complex than a den, residence, or the immediate root zone of a plant.