I am writing to express my…

I am writing to express my strong opposition to Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, 2025. While I recognize the importance of economic development, this bill poses a serious threat to Ontario’s long-term biodiversity and environmental stability, amongst a host of other issues that affect Canadian's every day well-being.

The repeal of the Endangered Species Act and its replacement with weaker legislation undermines long-standing protections for at-risk plants and animals. These changes could lead to the destruction of critical habitats, particularly in sensitive areas like wetlands, forests, and the Ring of Fire. It is critical that we appreciate the importance of preserving habitats and species that are unique and will never regain the health or longevity that they will lose with human destruction and alteration. Landscape modification and habitat fragmentation are considered severe threats to biodiversity and negatively affect virtually all taxonomic groups. With this, not only would groups of species and vast landscapes be threatened with extinction, but the cascading effects may also influence aspects of their behaviour and species interactions. If we drastically increase the intensity of Ontario’s plans to build, as Bill 5 recommends, we will inevitably ruin the unique natural heritage that Ontario has to offer and cripple our economy long term by the strong exploitation of our non-renewable resources.

Another risk that is proposed with Bill 5 is the prioritization of fast-tracking development without thorough environmental assessments. This threatens irreparable damage that cannot be renewed for many lifetimes, through: fragmentation of ecosystems, disrupting migratory routes, and accelerating species decline, especially for already vulnerable species.
Additionally, by providing Ontario with the sole, full discretion to choose whether to add any species that have been identified by the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO) to the protection list gives the Ontario government the option to simply not provide protections under the Endangered Species Act(ESA) and Species Conservation Act(SCA). Meaning, rather than acting within a framework that includes multiple perspectives, it is completely in the hands of the government that is already stating its interests lie only to “unleash” the economy at any cost. This is a critical risk: having a one and final decision that can be so easily swayed by politicians who have been lobbied by industry groups rather than pursuing the interests of Ontario generations to come.

The ESA currently defines the “habitat” of an animal as consisting of the “an area on which the species depends, directly or indirectly, to carry on its life processes, including life processes such as reproduction, rearing, hibernation, migration or feeding.” This protects both the “dwelling place” of the animal, such as a den or a nest, and also the area on which the animal depends for all other purposes.

Under the amended ESA and the SCA, the only part of an animal’s habitat that will now be protected is the den or the nest – in other words, where it sleeps. All the other areas that animals need to live and survive, such as breeding grounds, migratory routes, or areas essential for its sustenance, will no longer be protected. For some species, protection of migration routes and breeding grounds are essential. If the areas that animals need for feeding, reproduction, migration, and other life processes aren’t protected, it is unlikely that conservation efforts will be effective.

Essentially Bill 5 is not only granting permission for nearly all landscapes to be developed, but it also influences the future of being able to participate in any conservation efforts of individual species or habitats. How do you conserve a viable self-sustaining population that has nowhere to feed, roam, or breed? Where do you release rehabilitated animals to ensure they will have a long, successful life? How do you monitor vulnerable populations over vast distances? We cannot have a future where these are the questions we’re asking. Then we would have a lot more we would need to be fixing with our economy as our resources begin to disappear one by one.

Biodiversity is not just a moral or environmental concern—it underpins our clean air, water, food systems, and climate resilience. By sacrificing the long-term health of our province, we are only benefitted for such a short period of time. There is a way to balance both economic growth and environmental protection. There is more research than ever on ways in which we can pursue sustainable development by capitalizing on spaces we have already altered rather than destroying more.

I strongly urge the Ontario government to halt Bill 5 and instead strengthen, not weaken, environmental protections that safeguard Ontario’s irreplaceable natural heritage.