To whom it may concern, I do…

To whom it may concern,

I do not agree with the proposed changes to the species at risk act.

I feel that it gives big money corporations an easy out by paying a “fee” to over look the necessary actions on protecting our venerable species and environments. This is not okay.
The current actions and wait times for permits are there to make sure that there are no concerns upon building in certain areas and for a good reason; to protect our at risk species.

Maybe instead of being paid off by funds to let people build in at risk areas or any areas for that matter, there could be a fee to put a rush on permits to assess locations faster, but not to overlook the protections that are currently in place.

I also don't agree with slowing down the process of making something an at risk species. By making it harder to classify such beings makes it easier for developers to swoop in and not care what beings get wiped out before they can be classified properly. We don't know how fast something can change in the environment and cause a species to become endangered or at risk. There should be no time line on that classification as things are constantly changing and these species may already be at risk of becoming endangered or extirpated. Ontario has the best protection for at risk species in all of Canada, and we the people want to keep it that way!

I feel like the environment and at risk areas are not being taken seriously with these proposed changes and it needs to be looked at more closely and maybe with more input from provincial biologists, relevant ministries and conservation authorities.

Thank you for reading.