I am deeply concerned about…

I am deeply concerned about this proposal. The proposed repeal of the Endangered Species Act and the replacement of it represents a significant weakening of Ontario's responsibility to protect and restore populations of Species at Risk throughout the province. The registration-based approach will be easily exploitable by actors acting in bad faith, and the enforcement protocols are unclear, and place the onus on respecting species at risk away from proponents.

The removal of harassment from the list of prohibited activities, and the changes to the definition of habitat will significantly reduce the sustainability of at risk populations

I am concerned that the new ability of the minister to remove species from Ontario's protected species risk will politicize the protected species risk, placing important decisions about Ontario's biodiversity away from the recovery of species at risk.