For nearly a century,…

For nearly a century, Toronto Field Naturalists (TFN) has worked to connect people with nature in the Toronto area. Over this time, our volunteers have given literally hundreds of thousands of hours, and countless dollars, to working with the City of Toronto and Province of Ontario to find solutions to various issues which have proven mutually advantageous to nature and urban progress. It is from this perspective of deep commitment and enduring longevity that I write to voice our objections to Ontario's Endangered Species Act.

While we understand and support that economic development and affordable housing are critical to the health and welfare of Ontarians, we assert that the ideas proposed by ERO #013-5033 are detrimental and counter-productive to the long-term health and welfare of our citizenry. Solutions to these issues need not come at the expense of entire species, critical habitat, and rare natural beauty. Business and industry in Ontario are capable of greater resourcefulness and innovation than these changes give them credit for, and they do not need to be spoon-fed profit when the cost of such is permanent and irreversible damage to our natural world.

Please review the attached letter and blog post for a further exploration of these opinions and issues.