Ontaro's endangerd species…

Ontaro's endangerd species act is one of the strongest peices of endangered species related legislation in the country. This is important to protect the unique and varied creatures that live in Ontario. The animals, birds, plants and other species that live in Ontario provide jobs, add value to the economy, support our way of life and bring joy and pleasure to many people. At a time when human impacts on the environment are pervasive and in many ways irreversible, protecting species, especially those that are already threatened or endangerd is of paramount importance. The ESA is strong because of the automatic protection of species, automatic habitat protection and strong permitting system. Reducing or watering down these aspects of the ESA as is suggested in the discussion document will put vulnerable species at further risk. Business and industry should have to justify why they need to harm species when undertaking development, and should have to mitigate harm, as they do now. I do not support weakening the the permitting system. In fact I understand that some industries and sectors have been granted exceptions from the ESA and I think these should be reversed to strengthen species protection. Keep Ontario strong, keep the ESA strong and do not make the changes in the discussion paper.