There are at least 291…

There are at least 291 species of birds that breed in the province of Ontario. Not least of all, the Common Loon, the provincial bird of Ontario. The common Loon is a bird that relies on aquatic environments for food and safe places to raise its young. While Common Loon habitat primarily consists of large lakes and ponds, Bill 5 still threatens this iconic Ontario species. Streams and rivers feed many large lakes. Streams and rivers often run through wetlands or create them as part of their flooding regime. Bill 5 threatens all of these things. The introduction of special economic zones and the removal of certain permitting requirements will make it easier for land developers to move into wetland and riverside areas. Draining and filling wetlands removes the services they provide for flood management and water filtration. Rivers and streams are frequently "channelized," a practice that removes the curves and meanders of a river in favour of a straight path, and occasionally the addition of concrete bank protectors, to prevent flooding. This drastically changes what species are found in the river and, therefore, what species make it to the lake. Fewer wetlands and changes to rivers can alter the food availability in lake habitats, as needed by our Loon. And that's just one example. There are hundreds of species, birds and aquatic organisms especially, that Bill 5 puts at risk. From making drastic changes to the Endangered Species Act that would make species protection more reliant on the Federal Government, to the removal of restrictions that keep key areas for at-risk species available, this Bill presents a huge danger to key Ontario Species. Unleashing Ontario's economy will have drastic repercussions and will likely cost more in the long run, both economically and environmentally.