The proposed SCA is wholly…

The proposed SCA is wholly inadequate for protecting Ontario’s species at risk.
Restricting the definition of habitat is a huge mistake. For instance, the monarch butterfly only breeds in Ontario during the summer months on milkweed, and would be completely unprotected once they begin the long and arduous migration to Mexico. Ignoring their needs during the nonbreeding season puts this beautiful and iconic species from being lost from Ontario. Species at risk should be assessed using an independent science-based approach. It is also important to protect species at multiple levels. Shunting the entire responsibility onto the federal government is poor practice. The goal of listing a species as being at risk is that one day it will recover enough to be taken off the species at risk registry. If there are no recovery plans in place, I don’t see how this can happen. Overall, in a time of biodiversity crisis this proposed legislation is the opposite of what we need. We need stronger protections for vulnerable species. Economic uncertainty is cited as a reason for bypassing species/habitat protections. However, our society relies on well functioning ecosystems to provide us with everything from the air we breathe to the water we drink to the soil needed to grow our food. Especially in a time of climate crisis and worsening natural disasters we need to find ways of working in tandem with our natural ecosystems. In short, demolishing the foundations of our environment for short term economic gain is a very bad idea and I would like for the ministry to restore the ESA in its more robust form, and repeal the Species Conservation Act.