I am against Bill 5, which…

I am against Bill 5, which includes repealing the Endangered Species Act, 2007 and enacting a voluntary Species Conservation Act, 2025.

We need to build a strong economy in harmony with nature, not against it.

The Endangered Species Act does not only protect endangered species, but our eco-system that we are a part of! We have all learned that in grade school biology!
• To quote ERO 025-0380: establish a new Species Conservation Program to support voluntary initiatives like habitat restoration that protect and conserve species

Replacing it with a voluntary Species Conservation Program means that if proponents don’t want to, they won’t do habitat restoration to protect and conserve species.

To quote ERO 025-0380: Under the proposed new approach, instead of waiting for the ministry to approve permits, most proponents will be able to begin an activity immediately after registering.

A registration-first approach cannot work if proponents can begin activity without approval.

If proponents do not have to wait for the ministry to approve permits before beginning their activity, they can do a lot of damage without being caught, and if they are caught, will there be a consequence for them since:
• the Government may choose to waive laws for them, I fear leading to corruption
• the Government may choose to add to remove protected species from the list, I fear the easiest route being to remove protected species

I am worried actions taken at the Government’s discretion whether it is good or bad, is not being transparent

Creating a simplified, streamlined process instead of requiring specific permits also leaves room for many errors to go undetected.