Thank you for the…

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the review of the ESA. I have a keen interest in this issue as a longtime member and supporter of numerous conservation and environmental groups. As such, I am concerned that reputable organizations such as Ontario Nature, Environmental Defence, the David Suzuki Foundation and more believe the government appears to be moving in the direction of reducing its administrative role and relinquishing its authority through exemptions.
I fully support the comprehensive, well-researched brief prepared by the environmental organizations and urge the government to adopt the numerous recommendations in their brief.
I urge the government to repeal the 2013 exemptions for the forestry, hydro, mining and development industries; maintain the current science-based listing process; maintain mandatory habitat protection with no ministerial discretion; and maintain the requirement for proponents of harmful activities to provide an on-the-ground overall benefit to species impacted, with no backdoor option to simply pay into a fund to compensate for harm. Any landscape approach, if adopted, must build on and improve the species-specific requirements set out in the ESA.
A short-sighted fixation on environmental deregulation would not serve anyone's long-term interests, not even those of business. A healthy economy depends on a healthy environment. I urge the government to be part of the global push to protect species at risk and shoulder its responsibility in protecting the natural world which enriches the quality of life for present and future generations.
Thank you.