The changes to OWES will…

The changes to OWES will remove protection of many wetlands in Ontario, specifically in areas those that have suffered dramatic impacts since European colonization. While the current system is not perfect, it does provide protection and has rightly contributed to stemming wetland loss in Ontario, specifically southern Ontario. The changes proposed here will undoubtedly lead to higher wetland loss and the species that depend on them, which will have impacts on our children’s generation and beyond. No amount of compensation can mitigate this as the current wetlands in Ontario have taken 10000 years or more to perform at the level we currently find them. Let this be on record that those backing these policy changes will ultimately be contributors to wetland demise in Ontario. This will have lasting impacts to the environment, species, water and human well being.