Protecting at-risk species…

Protecting at-risk species should not be deprioritized to fast-track development. If the government continues to erode conservation protections that took years of research to establish, we will lose these species that call Canada home.

We can speed up home production without harming our land's biodiversity. Losing species is permanent; is that really a price we're willing to pay to meet quotas? This does not need to be biodiversity versus humanity.

There are programs in place to protect and recover Ontario’s species and their habitats, and these programs should be invested in and supported to help guide development initiatives in a way that won't destroy what little our land has left. According to the 2024 report State of Canada's Birds, 168 bird species in Canada have decreased in population since 1970. That is 36% of species, while 54% are data deficient and potentially decreasing as well. Additionally, WWF-Canada’s flagship report on the state of wildlife reveals persistent declines in monitored wildlife populations in Canada over the last 50 years, a 10 per cent average decline from 1970 to 2022.

Do we want to contribute to this trend or help fight it?