In respect to section 2,…

In respect to section 2, suspending species listing for up to 3 years of meeting a certain criteria made by the minister. How can habitat availability be quantified for a species in Ontario? How can a species not have habitat loss as a limiting factor? If this is the discretion of the minister and there is no longer a requirement for consulting an expert, then how will you deem a species doesn't need a habitat? Further on the topic of losing the requirement of consulting an expert and the minister can choose their own course action. How can a person who is an untrained in environmental science be able to make decisions on environmental science? If this requirement is taken way then we are leaving our decisions to a person who will not be able t make accurate assumptions of our endangered species. Science needs to be fact driven, and without experts to advise a person who is untrained in this field the wrong decisions will be made.

This point of a person who is untrained in environmental science making all of the decisions holds true in section 3 as well. How is someone who is untrained in these matters able to extend the timeline for reviews of that species? With this point many endangered species will likely be pushed for reviews to save money, as their will be no person who is educated to assist the minister in the process of this decision making.

In respect to section 4, the minister is not a trained environmental scientist and does not know how to properly assess any of the proposed rules. This will lead to incorrect information and the loss of our endangered species. If this goes through we are giving power to one person who will likely make all the wrong decisions, we need to have advisors that are educated in the matter and have rules set that the minister has to follow in regards to these advisors comments.

In section 5 we have the same issue, all the power is supposed to go to the minister even for hiring conservation officers. This person is not trained in environmental science and is also not trained to be hiring officers that are needed to maintain the protection of our endangered species. This proposal is trying to give to much power to a person who is not educated in the environment. If these changes are made we will likely lose a lot of our already endangered species and we will likely see more species needing more conservation soon after.