I am writing to express my…

I am writing to express my opinion on the proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act. As an Ontario citizen and an environmental sciences student, I strongly oppose the changes, as it is not benefiting the vast flora and fauna in the province whatsoever. A few reasons I disagree with the proposed changes are as follows:
- Broadening the COSSARO membership so that it includes "community knowledge" is not beneficial at all. This leads to less credibililty, as reporting on the status of species is something that needs to be done by experienced, qualified people. By opening the committee to people that are not qualified to join, and do not hold the expertise needed, overall knowledge on at risk species in Ontario will decrease, and the right protocols to reverse declining species numbers will not be followed.
- Limiting ESA protections should not be allowed. With this happening, certain areas could be excluded from protection. This is not okay, considering ALL flora and fauna in ALL areas of the province should be extensively protected with no hesitation.
- Allowing activities to be approved under other laws without input from the ESA should be illegal. As an example, exempting the ESA from vital decisions in the forestry sector will be detrimental to life in the forests in Ontario. Although the forestry sector is important for our province, there are ways to benefit from this while also protecting species that call the forest their home.

There are many more reasons as to why I do not agree with the proposal, and I could go on and on about it. The environment is a sacred place, and to see the government wanting to implement such negative changes disappoints me to no end. We should be aiming to protecting, preserving, and having a positive impact on the world around us - and unfortunately, if the government gets to make these changes, it will be more difficult for us as citizens to preserve what's around us. With the government implementing these changes, we are only undoing what Canada as a country has worked so hard to become.