I do not support this…

I do not support this proposal. Rather than significantly weakening protections for species at risk, this government should be safeguarding biodiversity, respecting Indigenous rights and ensuring local communities benefit from the ecosystem services that nature freely provides.

Removing 106 species from Ontario’s Species at Risk act WITHOUT consulting experts will significantly reduce weaken the ecological integrity of the Province. Although federal protections remain in place for some of these species, they do not detail landscape-specific recovery plans created by local level scientists and experts.

Many of the habitats in which these species rely on face threats on a local and provincial level. While federal protections are still in place, these species require provincial-level protection, because provincial-level action requires provincial level oversight and regulation.

Ontarians have invested a significant amount of time and money into the recovery of species at risk through actions such as volunteer programs, field work, and land conservation initiatives. It is clear that these 106 species at risk are a part of our provincial identity. Removing the protections from these species at risk would be detrimental for the Ontarians who have invested their time and money into recovery actions.

The long term impacts of these actions are a key factor to consider when deciding on an action of this nature and scale. The youngest Ontarians deserve to grow up in a province that values the longevity of iconic species and plans and support them for the generations to come. Cutting these programs now under the idea that it will reduce redundancy does not speak to a government that values the future of Ontarians living in a province with some of the most diverse and unique species this country has to offer. Continuing to protect these species is pivotal at this point in time as many would go extinct without the support that provincial regulations have afforded them. Such losses cannot be undone and shouldn’t be something that the province considers undertaking lightly. Gambling with the future that young Ontarians deserve should not be something that is treated as trivial.