"The purpose of Bill 5 is to…

"The purpose of Bill 5 is to support faster development by speeding up provincial permits and approvals to help Ontario’s industries thrive, respond to trade issues like U.S. tariffs, and support the long-term strength and security of the province and its economy"

This line in itself is very contradictory. The leading cause of a species becoming endangered or potentially going extinct is habitat loss. Either through habitat destruction, habitat degradation or habitat fragmentation, the loss of a habitat is very detrimental to the survival of a species. By trying to speed up provincial permits and approvals it is very obvious that crucial steps to safeguard species will be missed. The fact that this Bill is trying to amend the species conservation act just for quicker industry and economic growth does not sit right with me at all. This is obviously proposed to expedite project timelines with little regard for the environment. These measures are set in place at a federal level for a reason. They have been researched and monitored for years it is extremely bold that the Ford government assumes they have the expertise to change these regulations. Furthermore, I would like to comment on the Wetlands in Ontario which house many species at risk. WE NEED THE WETLANDS. We need these wetlands more than we need more housing or more roads. Remember what happened downtown Toronto last year when everything flooded? The was due to the lack of wetlands and areas designated to hold water. It is extremely irresponsible for the ford government to propose this bill with the sole interest of development through areas that have previously been protected. It affects the species that are at risk and the future generations that will be living in over-developed cities prone to flooding. Building more housing and roads are not the answer, how about we refine our transit and keep rent controlled so people can actually afford to live in a city and don't have to move to new developments because of there costs.

"People proposing to engage in activities that will adversely impact species or habitat protected under the SCA will either be required to register the activity or obtain a permit, unless the activity is excepted." Please provide a list of excepted activities. This is very vague. If the Ford government felt that another high rise condo building was essential would this be an excepted activity. Would this be justification enough to severely destroy the habitat of a species at risk?

To finalize this submission I wholeheartedly disagree with this bill and find it wildly irresponsible to not only mislead the public that there will still be considerations for SAR, but to affect the future of young people for unnecessary economic development instead of fixing and refining the infrastructure that Ontario currently has.