I am disgusted by the very…

I am disgusted by the very thought of Ontario descending down the road trod by the very worst of countries, with little to no care about the repercussions of its own actions. Canada is now joining a list of bad actors and will be viewed as a place no longer ruled by compassion, sense or even sanity.

I wish to express my blatant opposition to the proposed changes to Ontario's Endangered Species Act. In particular, the section entitled "Creation of Regulatory Charge and Agency" is especially dangerous as it suggests the implementation of a "regulatory charge that could be paid by persons who are permitted to carry out otherwise prohibited activities". Mike Schreiner of the Green Party summed up this section most aptly when he described it as the "Pay to Slay" fee. Endangered species are priceless, and no amount of money will help once they are gone. I am particularly disturbed that the proposed amendments to the Act would give politicians power to override the decisions of scientists.

The proposed changes also seek to "(b)roaden the approach to minimizing adverse effects for permits and agreements... by shifting the focus from ‘individual members’ of the species to the ‘species’ more generally". When it comes to endangered species, every single individual member of that species is of unprecedented import and deserves undiluted focus and complete protection! According to these changes, the habitat of an endangered species could be destroyed after a developer pays a fee or because that same species is reported to be maintaining population numbers elsewhere in Ontario. This will be completely devastating to the precious, fleeting presence of the animals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and plants which we, as human beings, are tasked with protecting. Please put a stop to the changes to Ontario's Endangered Species Act. We won't get a second chance at this!