The drastic scaling back of…

The drastic scaling back of the protections for the species at risk and the delegation of the responsibility for Ontario's native species to the federal government is a dangerous and damaging precedent to set and risks causing permanent damage to the biodiversity and ecological well being of the province. The reduction of protections to habitat to only include nests, dens, or other dwelling places and not the surrounding environment on which the species rely is extremely short-sighted. The government is using economic precarity with the US as an excuse to destroy the habitats of native Ontario species and this bill should not be passed. Consultation with ecologists and experts in restoring and protecting species at risk must be prioritized in legislation about this topic, not the most recent political excuse.