Hello, This feedback…

Hello,

This feedback pertains to the Ontario Government’s review of its Endangered Species Act.

This review process is of concern as there seem to be two conflicting reasons for undertaking this review. First main reason stated is that the legislation is ineffective at protecting endangered species. This is a valid reason for conducting a review - if provincial biologists are documenting poor recovery of species with the tools available to them.

The second main reason the government has put forth to justify this review is that the act is slowing or somehow preventing economic development. To say that the two are not correlated would be untrue. A healthy environment means residents of this province are healthier and can better contribute to our economy. Our economy is thus inextricably linked to our natural environment. Loosening regulation would thus impact the economy so this reasoning for a review seems quite flawed. In addition, it seems that our economy is performing quite well based on the Ontario Ministry of Finance’s website....

I urge the government to not water down this Act, but to strengthen it if the data shows that endangered species are not being adequately protected. All of us in the province will be better off in the long run with a healthier environment!

Thank You.