I am strongly opposed to…

I am strongly opposed to Bill 5 and the proposed changes to the endangered species act. The proposed species conservation act does anything BUT conserve species. This is a poor attempt at providing any protections to species whether or not they are threatened or thriving. The required habitat space for species is highly variable and most definitely is larger than their dwelling space, which would only include something like a bird nest or a Fox den. Species need to be able to have those spaces protected and large areas that contain their food sources, their ability to migrate and maintain genetic diversity, their ability to forage in ways that are sustainable for their populations, etc. We have already removed the majority of habitat for species in Southern Ontario and this has led to species declines, and made it more difficult for species populations to continue to provide valuable ecosystem services (benefits people derive from healthy ecosystems - i.e., flood mitigation, drought resilience, healthy water, and much more). We not only need to oppose Bill 5, but we need to make the Endangered species act even stronger to protect species at risk of extinction.