It appears that you didn’t…

It appears that you didn’t even bother to read the comments that were submitted in response to your earlier discussion paper. The vast majority of commenters strongly stated that if the Act is to be changed, it should to create stronger protections for species at risk, and it should NOT weaken the rules. However, all of these proposed changes are obviously just loosening SAR protections:

-extend the time from when a COSSARO report is received by the Minister to when listing is to occur from three to twelve months

-provide the Minister with authority to temporarily suspend species and habitat protections for up to three years for some newly-listed species

-remove the mandatory legislative requirement and timeline to develop a habitat regulation proposal

-enable the Minister, rather than LGIC, to make species-specific habitat regulations

-removing specific reference to posting under the Environmental Bill of Rights, 1993

-allow municipalities or other infrastructure developers the option to pay a charge in lieu of completing certain on-the-ground activities required by the act

-remove requirements for the Minister to consult with an independent expert

- give the Minister the power to make regulations limiting the application of the prohibitions with respect to a species.

Making these changes is extremely short-sighted, unethical, and will only cause damage to our natural world at a time when we cannot afford to do so. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) report that was just released indicates that 1 million species will go extinct within the next several decades if we don’t act to change that.

Please listen to your constituents and don’t make these changes.