Please do not change Ontario…

Please do not change Ontario's Endangered Species Act. This Act is critical to maintaining healthy, sustainable landscapes - and this means healthy, sustainable environments for humans.

The ability of the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO) to determine the status of species, independent of government, is essential to the proper functioning of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Improved communication and transparency in all aspects of species assessment and protection is warranted to provide clarity for the public and business.

Habitat loss or degradation is a primary cause for species decline. We already know that species are in decline, facing a range of stressors, including a warming climate and habitat fragmentation. Automatic protection, combined with clear communication on where impacts can and cannot occur, would protect species while providing certainty of what to expect for economic development.

Please remember that extinction is permanent. And with each extinction, the ecosystems that we - as humans - depend on become less viable for our own long-term sustainability. We need to be thinking about the generations ahead, not short-term developments.