As someone who has worked on…

As someone who has worked on various species at risk projects in my career sine 2010, I am opposed to the Province’s proposed Bill 5, particularly the provisions that would effectively end endangered species protection in Ontario.

I agree with strengthening the Province’s economy in a time of economic coercion and annexation threats from south of the border, but removing endangered species protection would be completely unnecessary to meeting this end.

I believe Schedules 2 and 10 to be particularly dangerous, as the definitions of “habitat” are far too narrow to actually protect the species in question. The mitigation measures proposed to justify destroying habitat include things like stormwater ponds, which are detrimental to downstream water temperature regimes, and would hardly suffice to replace the functions of complex habitats they are replacing.

There is no need to remove these protections in making Ontario’s economy more robust. All this will do is permit destruction of priceless spaces that are not only SAR habitat but are also aesthetically beneficial, help people’s mental health, and often also have cooling and flood attenuation qualities in these times of worsening heat waves and storms.

I believe there have been many examples of smart development progressing alongside biodiversity protection under the Endangered Species Act, 2007, and Ontario can continue to build and develop its economy without repealing this very crucial Act, as proposed in Bill 5.