Thank you for the…

Thank you for the opportunity to review and provide feedback on the proposed interim changes to the Endangered Species Act and proposal for the Species Conservation Act. Given the limited proposal details provided, we are only able to provide general feedback at this time.

General feedback:
• More information is required on the Protected Species in Ontario List registration process. The proposal does not provide any explanation on how activities are defined, what registered activities will be exempted, what data and reports are required to support the registration, and the retention requirements for documents used in the registration process. Additionally, it is not clear when registration would take place as part of the implementation of an infrastructure project.
• To ensure the continued effective management of Regional forests, more information is required on the definition of critical root zone for plants and trees, and the roles of regulated professionals and project proponents.

We would welcome the opportunity to review more detailed regulation in the future and provide a more fulsome review.