I am very much opposed to…

I am very much opposed to the government’s plan to amend the Endangered Species Act (ERO 019-2636).

The proposal states that the government has a “commitment to improve the effectiveness of the species at risk program” and a desire to “help preserve Ontario’s rich biodiversity for generations to come”. This is something that I support, however, it is nothing more than lip service. It is illogical to suggest that you can take away a species habitat and that would be beneficial for the species… even if a fund is set up to protect that species.

The true essence of the proposal is that it is intended to “increase certainty for proponents and reduce the length of time required to fulfill authorization requirements.” In other words, species at risk currently are viewed as nothing but “red tape”. This is just another example of the government’s disregard of environmental regulations.

With statements such as, “the proposed amendments to O. Reg. 242/08 would give proponents the option to pay a species conservation charge into the Fund rather than completing certain on-the-ground actions,” it is no wonder that this proposal is commonly referred to as a “pay to slay” proposal. The government should call it what it is and stop pretending it is something good for biodiversity.

The shameful and harmful proposal should be denied.