The Hamilton Naturalists’…

The Hamilton Naturalists’ Club (HNC) is submitting the following comments about the Proposed legislative and regulatory amendments to enable the Species Conservation Act, 2025. HNC has several concerns and urges the provincial government to withdraw it. We are concerned that the proposed legislation will dismantle or undermine many key legal protections for our endangered species. HNC is a 106 year old conservation charity with almost 400 members dedicated to the study, appreciation, and conservation of our wild plants and animals.

The proposed legislation will reduce safeguards for endangered species at a time when we’re facing a biodiversity crisis. Now is the time to strengthen species protection, not cease to recognize them. Ontario’s Endangered Species Act was once considered strong legislation for endangered species protection but those protections have declined over time, resulting in 22% more species at risk in 2020 compared to 2009.

Offloading responsibility for species protection, particularly migratory birds and aquatic species to the federal government is an unprecedented abrogation of provincial responsibility and negates the essential collaboration between both levels of government.

Hamilton Naturalists’ Club urges you to halt this proposal and instead strengthen the ESA so that species can flourish. Many provinces across the country are showing how this can be done. That doesn’t mean stopping all development. It means building strong local economies that are in harmony with nature, not in conflict.

Please remember that healthy habitats sustain all Ontarians, not just endangered species. Bulldozing their protections is only going to unleash more problems for future generations.