As a resident of Ontario,…

As a resident of Ontario, and a research scientist in the field of ecology, I am worried about the proposed changes to Ontario’s Endangered Species Act. Firstly, with climate change and human land use substantially affecting habitats, extending the timelines of putting a species on the SARO list and other policy deadlines could be catastrophic in conserving their populations.

Secondly, I question what factors the Minister would consider that would be better informed than the COSSARO and experts in making the decision to put a species on the SARO list, and which stakeholders or political parties they may be influenced by when making this decision. The decision to list species should not depend on economical considerations, and the Minister should not have the authority to remove requirements without consulting an environmental expert. The Minister does not have a background in the environment or conservation, and should be mandated to work with COSSARO and experts to make these decisions. Decisions should not be based on the opinion of the Minister: whether these decisions are beneficial or antagonistic to species, the Minister should always be consulting experts.

Thirdly, if a species is endangered or threatened in Ontario, this status should be independent of whether that species is endangered or threatened across Canada or worldwide. Many of these species may have some benefit locally, may have local adaptations that will help them respond to climate change, particularly if they are at the northern extent of a species’ distribution, and may be impacted by species that are not found elsewhere

Lastly, introducing a payment instead of having stakeholders complete on-the-ground activities takes away the responsibility of the stakeholder to restore the habitat that they have disturbed. These stakeholders should not be allowed to buy their way out of regulations, as this would impose no limit to what these stakeholders could do to endangered and threatened species and their habitats. There should be on-the-ground monitoring that stakeholders are complying and that their activities are not harming species or damaging habitats.