Ontario's Endangered Species…

Ontario's Endangered Species Act is state-of-the-art legislation. It is among the best in the world and is relatively new, so one wonders why it needs changing. It enshrines evidence-based decision-making and places limits on the extent to which politics can override science. It limits discretion to override sound science.

The previous version of the Act, which left decisions to politicians and civil servants led to very few species being protected over several decades. If anything, the ESA should be strengthened, to ensure a greater involvement of independent scientists, not less.