Despite the strong…

Despite the strong protections promised when the Endangered Species Act came into effect, successive Ontario governments have not lived up to their obligations to protect species at risk. Many Ontario species are in decline. The number of endangered species in this province has grown, and many could be at risk of disappearing forever unless we take strong action now.

I therefore call upon your government to:

1) Make it your government’s top priority on the endangered species file to halt and reverse the startling decline in Ontario’s animal, plant and other species.

2) Commit resources to properly enforce the Endangered Species Act. Ensure the responsible ministry meets its deadlines. Provide clear information to land users and to the public about how the ESA is being implemented. Establish implementation targets and monitoring systems.

3) End the blanket exemptions granted to industry and others that came into effect in 2013. Close loopholes in the legislation to prevent future abuse of the ESA’s flexibility.

4) Ensure local communities benefit from activities to maintain and restore endangered species and their habitat, including rural and Northern communities.

5) Acknowledge the continued leadership and critical role of Indigenous Peoples and provide funding for First Nations stewardship activities, for example the Indigenous Guardians Program.

6) Reassign the species at risk file and responsibility for implementing the ESA from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF), which has proven itself to be unable to effectively implement the ESA, to the Ministry for Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP).