Allowing any one person (ie…

Allowing any one person (ie the lieutenant governor) to have the discretionary ability to decide which species do and do not go in the endangered species list for Ontario is ridiculous and illogical. It should not be a power granted to one person. Whether a species belongs on the list should be decided based on clearly defined, SCIENTIFICALLY SOUND criteria and if a species fits that criteria within its ONTARIO range then it should automatically go on the list to receive protections. This whole process should absolutely be mandatory. I strongly oppose this change.
I also oppose the change from the previous “endangered species act” to the new “species conservation act”. The change in name alone minimizes the importance of the protections provided to endangered species by that act. Reducing protections for endangered species and important habitats in order to speed up development shows a blatant disregard for the long-term health and wellness of people and nature in Ontario, as destroyed habitats and species cannot simply be brought back after the negative impacts start being felt. Restoring a wetlands environment can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and take decades only to result in a wetlands that is still inferior to the one destroyed in order to build a subdivision. Housing and industry are important, but it is up to the government to protect the long-term vision of an environmentally healthy Ontario because corporations are focused on their own short term benefit.