In regards to the amendments…

In regards to the amendments being made to facilitate the Species Conservation Act, 2025 (SCA), I support many of the comments made by Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), among others, about the proposal of the SCA under the Protect Ontario by Unleashing the Economy Act. I believe natural infrastructure and ecosystem health are equally as important for the protection of Ontario's future as the development of housing, transit and infrastructure. What's more, I think most Ontarians would pride themselves on knowing our province protects and supports our natural splendor, and with the amendments facilitating the SCA, I'm not sure we can take pride in that anymore.

For these amendments, I think the biggest issues are:

1. These changes look at habitat in the narrowest possible sense, and without habitat to migrate, nest and conduct other life activities, any other efforts to protect species at risk are limited.

2. They move away from science-based decision making and towards a pay to play system, or a politically motivated system for allowing development. Nature is not political, it supports us all, and without using our best understanding to work with it, many of the economic benefits this act supposedly supports will not be achievable.

3. Removing federally listed species at risk will limit cooperation in streamlining projects with the federal government, and will limit the effectiveness of protecting species at risk that cross provincial boundaries.

In all of these issues, these amendments do not foster a spirit of cooperation between stakeholders when it comes to habitat and species at risk. The benefits of conserving habitat apply to all of us in the form of clean air, clean water, and beautiful places we all enjoy. These changes allow less room for cooperation in the goals of making a better Ontario for the future, and I feel this will leave us short of where we want to be.

Thank you for considering my comment.