I am definitely against the…

I am definitely against the proposed changes to the Species at Risk act. This new legislation provides the Minister overreaching powers to avoid and delay protection of a species to the point where its habitat could be destroyed through development.

The Minister can delay protection by asking the experts on COSSARO to reconsider their listing decisions if the Minister believes that the listing is no longer appropriate. The experts on the committee tend to be leading scientists in their field, therefore why would a Minister have greater expertise?

The Ford government wants to remove species from the list if their population is not threatened in other areas of Ontario/North America. This action does not acknowledge that habitat loss is the primary reason for species extinction and that if a population is in decline in one area – it is in decline – period. Proposing protection only at a critical point – when the species is on the brink, is unscientific and ridculous.

The COSSARO members will also be ‘dumbed down’ by including members outside the fields of expertise such as community members. Community members are not defined but it is reasonable to assume given the direction of this new legislation that ‘community members’ will include industry, sport hunters and farmers – interests that are self-serving rather than an arms-length unbiased approach. It also does not provide a ratio of community members to experts.

These changes are very dangerous for species at risk. No one so ignorant should have any authority to decide which species have biological value and which ones can go extinct. This new legislation will allow the Minister to override COSSARO’s listing, forcing the committee to delist any species whose population is not threatened in other areas of Ontario.

Moreover, this will give the Minister supreme authority over the Species at Risk Act and since the authority is being shifted from COSSARO to the Minister, there will be less transparency, as some Minister decisions will no longer be posted on the Environmental Bill of Rights Registry.

I sincerely hope that these changes will not go through!