Comment
I do not agree with these proposed changes. The proposed Species Conservation Act, 2025 would devastate wildlife protection through several concerning changes not limited to:
Narrowing of Protected Habitats: The new definition of a habitat reduces protected areas to only immediate surroundings, ignoring crucial feeding grounds and migration corridors that species depend on for survival– these loopholes expose endangered species to the threat of extinction without directly "killing" them.
Political Control Over Species Protection: The government will gain unprecedented power to decide which endangered species get added or removed from protection lists on the basis of political and economic considerations rather than reality.
Lack of Oversight: Developers can begin harmful activities immediately after self-registration without ministry review or approval. Crucial environmental assessments will be eliminated before damage occurs, with inadequate penalties.
We are in the midst of a housing affordability crisis. There is an abundance of research that points towards mixed-use development, retrofitting communities around multi-modal transit, and cracking down on speculation and house hoarding as solutions to this crisis. Ontario's biodiversity faces unprecedented threats from habitat loss, climate change, and development pressures. Punishing wildlife is not an option that Ontarians should be willing to accept.
We should be protect our environment, our wildlife, and their habitats. Changing this will cause irreparable damage for future generations to come.
Submitted May 1, 2025 7:30 AM
Comment on
Proposed interim changes to the Endangered Species Act, 2007 and a proposal for the Species Conservation Act, 2025
ERO number
025-0380
Comment ID
128062
Commenting on behalf of
Comment status