Good morning, It is no…

Good morning,

It is no surprise that conservation efforts for protecting Species at Risk (SAR) are high. As stated in the OMECP (2019), less than 1% of southern Ontario is protected. The total land mass making up this 1% should be protected in its entirety. Proposing changes that will ultimately alter this protection is, in other words, a "recipe for disaster".

Are there any measures being put in place to ensure SAR populations will be monitored even more closely than before to ensure their populations are truly being protected and conserved?

As Ontarians, we owe it to the biodiversity that has been here long before we occupied this space to treat it with respect and protection.

The proposed changes for the online registration approach really do raise concerns as there will be no way to easily track projects that are being started. For instance, if somebody submits an online registration and immediately begins to demolish key habitat, it might take weeks before a member of the review board checks in on this project and at that point, the damage has already been done. Tens of hundreds of years of trees growing and creating beautiful habitat for species at risk gone over the course of a few months, all because of this new streamlined process. To me, this does not make sense if the goal is conservation and protection. Having the ministry review and approve permits, although it may be timely, it is necessary to examine project proposals with a 'fine toothed comb' to ensure it is following current species at risk protection standards.

I truly hope this process in particular is not approved if this new proposed act is passed.