Good afternoon, I am…

Good afternoon,
I am commenting to voice my concerns regarding the proposed changes to the endangered species act. As an ecologist, I am deeply worried by the changes relating to the creation of regulatory exemptions and regulatory charges. I believe these changes will make it easier for infrastructure developers to disregard the impact of their projects on endangered species. Developers will be able to pay a fee instead of altering their project to be less destructive to endangered species. As a result, habitat will be destroyed and endangered species will go extinct.
We are currently in the midsts of a mass extinction event. This should be a huge concern to us as the loss of species diversity makes ecosystems less resilient. The more species we lose, the more vulnerable ecosystems are to natural disasters, climate change, or disease. Ecosystems provide essentiel services such as agriculture and other food sources, recreation, tourism, and air quality preservation. When we lose species, we put our ecosystems in peril and risk losing these services.

As a young Ontarian, I find this government’s lack of concern for endangered species and environmental protection to be deeply disturbing. I hope to work, live, and start a family in this province one day, but the current management of our natural resources makes me question whether that will be possible. I want my family to live in a healthy, vibrant community, which is only possible through policy that firmly protects the environment.