As a voter, this proposal…

As a voter, this proposal goes against what I and many Ontarians with whom I have contact. The environment and the economy are closely connected and such measures would result in an overexploitation that destroys it. We need to be in a phase where we are working on restoring the ecosystems and biodiversity that our economy have devastated.

Unchecked development will devastate the environment and we cannot simply say "such and such an area is unimportant to the biosphere". Such hubris is what led us into the climate crisis in the first place. No species has a strict cut-off point about where it lives and such arbitrary politically drawn lines where companies can do what they please with regards to environmental harms and being exempted from environmental regulations will harm many species, both endangered and non.

I am in agreement with Nature Canada: "Ontario was a pioneer in protecting endangered species 1971. Now, there's talk of dismantling these hard-won protections and moving backwards. The Blandings Turtle and American Eel are just two examples of many species that could suffer.

Indigenous Rights: The proposed act could trample on the rights of indigenous communities, ignoring decades of progress toward reconciliation.
We all want progress, more housing, better infrastructure, but not at the cost of our natural heritage."

We must enshrine both indigenous land rights and environmental protection regulations in our laws in order to avert climate catastrophe. We must look to Indigenous leaders to support and maintain their land while developing on it in a completely sustainable and safe way.