I would like toexpress my…

I would like toexpress my strong opposition to the proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act under Bill 5, including amendments that alter the definition of “habitat.” These changes seriously undermine environmental protections that science-based, and threaten the survival of at-risk species and the habitats on which they were across the province.

The proposed redefinition of habitat removes the requirement that it be based on the biological needs of a species. This is something that has long been accepted, globally and changing it from a scientific definition implies that political discretion will be used to override ecological evidence, a move that weakens the very foundation of the Act. Effective species protection requires that habitat be defined according to where species actually live and breed—not where it is convenient for development, or wear a so-called replacement habitat can be developed. There is no science to back the idea of creating habitat that meets all the needs of highly sensitive species that are already at risk because of their specific needs being less available, mostly through habitat, loss, and degradation

Fragmenting habitat protections will only accelerate biodiversity loss. Plant and animal. species need connected ecosystems and cannot survive in isolated or piecemeal patches. Reducing the scope of what defines habitat will make it easier to approve developments in areas critical to species survival & recovery, including wetlands, forests, and grasslands already under pressure from climate change and developmental pressures, and environmental contaminants

Your government‘s proposed changes are not only environmentally dangerous, they are also out of step with Canada’s commitments under the Global Biodiversity Framework and other federal conservation goals. Ontario should be a leader in protecting biodiversity—not a jurisdiction that rewrites legislation to remove barriers to unsustainable development, or favours development over food security in an increasingly insecure world. What happens if, under the Trump administration, food imports upon which we rely, becoming exorbitantly priced or unavailable? Ontario has much arable land, especially within the Greenbelt, however, your government seems inclined to simply build over valuable foodland rather than preserve it for its natural biodiversity services and agricultural value

Your government’s amendments were introduced with minimal consultation and without respecting the voices of Indigenous communities, whose rights and knowledge systems are directly tied to land and habitat stewardship. This is a troubling erosion of both environmental governance and reconciliation efforts of the past few years.

I urge the Ford government to withdraw these proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act and to ensure that any future amendments are rooted in science, transparent consultation, and a long-term vision for environmental health that we all depend on and will continue to be more reliant on in future as climate change continues to challenge our society.Ontario’s natural heritage is a legacy we must protect so that our children and grandchildren will be able to look back on decisions made in 2025 as being ones that protected the legacy that is their birthright and that they will inherit. Their future is not the Ontario government’s to squander. Proposed changes that the Fors government is suggesting will negatively impact the world that they inherit, and that we all are now stewarding for them. What will they say if they find out that the current government sacrificed an intact, ecological legacy for their future, for its short-term gain.