I am very alarmed at the…

I am very alarmed at the proposed changes, especially 4. "The proposed changes would authorize the creation of a regulatory charge that could be paid by persons who are permitted to carry out otherwise prohibited activities under certain permits, agreements, and regulations."

We should not be putting humans and human development (or even worse, the development of habitation for humans, because it's just buildings, ) at the top of the ecosystem. We should not presume that we know, or can predict, which prohibited activities officials can "safely" allow, how much damage a species habitat can receive before that damage is "significant." Nor can we predict how well we will be able to repair the damage. That is why the levelling of a charge, a.k.a. "pay to slay" levy doesn't make any sense.

I am alarmed at the proposal to remove expert scientific advice and leave crucial decisions that could wipe out entire species in the hands of elected politicians. This appears several times in the proposed changes, e.g. "remove the requirement for the Minister to consult with an independent expert in the ‘D’ permit process and replace the requirement for LGIC approval with Minister approval."

Number one, there is no guarantee the Minister will have the slightest knowledge of ecology.
Number two, the Minister will ALWAYS be pressured to follow the Premier's agenda. Even when s/he knows in their heart and mind it is the scientifically and morally wrong thing to do, it will be a tough choice to risk losing one's job as Minister by going against Premier's directives.

For these reasons, I am strongly opposed to giving the Minister the power to "temporarily suspend species and habitat protections for up to three years for some newly-listed species" (Section 2) or to"Give the Minister discretion to extend the nine-month Government Response Statement development timeline, for some species," or any of the other discretionary powers proposed for the Minister in the Act.
We need sound scientific decision-making.
We cannot afford to let our environment and our ecosystem be destroyed just so the government can win the next election.

I am writing to you because I have children and grandchildren who I want to live in a healthy world. If we destroy even one species, we unbalance our ecosystem.

Especially in these times of climate change, we need to be extra vigilant, not less careful, about doing everything we can to ensure the balance of nature. We cannot take chances on species at risk. Destroying our environment to win an election, or pay back political supporters is just plain wrong. I do not want my Ontario to be part of this.