I am writing to express my…

I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed changes in Bill 5 regarding amending the Endangered Species Act, 2007.

It is an absolutely outrageous, flagrant endorsement of money above all no matter the impact on our environment now and for future generations. It is a complete abandonment of the duty of care that rests with the provincial government to protect endangered species.

If the Conservative government wants to speed up the process of decisions for approvals of developments, this can be accomplished by properly funding and staffing the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks.

Clearly what the Conservative Government is not prepared to accept is that the answer can and sometimes must be NO to developments that remove forever that which can not be replicated by "restoring" habitat somewhere else.

How completely demoralizing for our public servants to be working in their field under a government that is undermining everything that staff were hired to do.

After years of neglect, endangered species in Ontario are now facing their biggest threat in a generation in the form of Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025.

If passed, Bill 5 would scrap the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and create “special economic zones” where developers and resource companies would be exempt from provincial regulations.

This situation is compounding a series of previous measures that the Ontario government has taken in recent years to dismantle protections for endangered species, including exemptions for the logging industry and “pay-to-slay” provisions.

Bill 5 also has the potential to trample Indigenous rights if it doesn’t respect the right to free prior and informed consent. Indigenous Peoples must be at the centre of all discussions about sustainable economies and protecting endangered species.