Don't use Bill 5 to…

Don't use Bill 5 to destroyed highly regarded and significant ecosystems. Mr. Ford, this is not the sort of development regular Ontarians need or want.

This area is critical habitat for endangered species like the piping plover, eastern whip-poor-will, monarch butterfly, barn swallow, eastern hog-nosed snake and the hill’s thistle, but changes to the Endangered Species Act under Bill 5 have removed key protections, pushing these species closer to extinction and damaging fragile ecosystems that millions of Ontarians value.

If this proposal proceeds, it will deepen the climate and ecological crisis today’s youth will inherit. Ontario is already off track to meet weakened climate targets. Over 70 per cent of southern Ontario’s wetlands have been lost to development, draining vital carbon sinks. Wetlands like Wasaga’s store carbon, filter floods, and protect biodiversity, so when destroyed, they release carbon, worsen flooding, and heighten climate change.

The irony is that many tourists flock to Georgian Bay because of the very beauty of these untouched ecosystems. In 2021, Wasaga approved redevelopment on existing beachfront lands to support tourism. Now developers want more and Bill 5 paves the way.