The endangered species act…

The endangered species act was written prematurely and pushed though the Government too fast to satisfy the “flavour of the day.” For a long time the Government stressed protection of birds of prey, marten, deer and pileated woodpecker. Today there is little attention on these species as focus has shifted to caribou, turtles and ginseng plants. Environmentalists will use these “sexy” species as scapegoats to shut down industrial activities with little regard to the socio-economic impacts on the hard working men and women who rely on jobs in resource management sectors. To be truly sustainable, the endangered species act MUST consider the impacts to the economy, society as well as the environment. Listing species should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of these three aspects given the severe impacts and losses industries have already suffered. In Central Ontario since the Government began looking for species at risk, they have found many. Once a species makes it on the list, it never seems to come off. There needs to be more accountability on the Government to prove impacts to species at risk before creating harsh legislation that restricts resource management and industrial activities, the cornerstones of our economy.