I am a Canadian citizen…

I am a Canadian citizen resident in Guelph, Ontario.

I fundamentally oppose this legislation on both scientific and ethical grounds. The world is currently undergoing a crisis of habitat loss, species extinction, and population decline. As climate change continues to progress and its effects increase, this crisis will only get worse.

Prioritizing developer convenience and hasty development over critical conservation goals to maintain Ontario's biodiversity would be a terrible, short-sighted mistake. A species cannot survive if the area "protected" extends only as far as its nest or burrow, while allowing destruction of the ecosystem it hunts or forages in.

We must maintain a robust and evidence-based permit and review process before any development is permitted on land which might impact endangered species or their habitats. Development cannot be allowed to proceed without review occurring, and without input from qualified scientists.

A.M.