Dear Honorable Minister Rod…

Dear Honorable Minister Rod Phillips,

Leadnow is a member-based, multi-issue campaign organization that brings everyday people together to engage in the democratic process and shape the decisions that affect their lives. Our 100,000+ members in Ontario may differ in age, geography, income-level, and political leaning, but they are united in the vision for a just, sustainable, and equitable Ontario.

We’re submitting this comment on behalf of these members, as well as over 10,000 Ontarians who expressed the explicit desire to have their voices heard regarding the changes to Ontario’s Endangered Species Act outlined in omnibus Bill 108.

Ontario is home to some of the world’s rarest wildlife. But many animal populations are in serious decline, and some are at risk of extinction. The proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act would sideline science and water down rules for developers, putting our already vulnerable animal populations at an even greater risk.

Allowing developers to pay a small fee to work in fragile habitats will mean devastating outcomes for Ontario’s at-risk species.

The world is in the midst of an extinction crisis. Ontario needs leadership to protect and restore the habitats of at-risk species, not remove their protections.

Furthermore, by folding the amendments to the Endangered Species Act within an omnibus housing bill, it sends the message that the Ontario government wants these changes to go unnoticed, and without proper democratic scrutiny -- a practice that works to weaken our democracy.

We hope you reconsider the changes and remove the proposed amendments from the omnibus bill. Instead, we call on your ministry to strengthen the Endangered Species Act by consulting with scientists and indigenous communities who have been protecting Ontario’s environment and critical animal habitats for decades.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Leadnow, on behalf of over 100,000 Ontario Leadnow members