The Friends of Ojibway are…

The Friends of Ojibway are forwarding this letter to you to express our concerns about Bill 108 as it relates to The Endangered Species Act in Ontario.
The proposed Bill will have a devastating effect on species presently listed as Endangered, Threatened or Rare and will most certainly affect future species designated as such. Bill 108 will basically gut the Endangered Species Act as we know it and could become a tool to enable the destruction of habitat required for the survival of species in Ontario.
If the proposed amendments are implemented it could have a devastating effect on our region. Windsor/Essex County has the lowest percentage of natural areas in the province but has the highest concentration of rare species in Canada. These small remaining remnants of natural spaces would be devastated should further destruction be allowed to occur.
Advances made in species protection and preservation over the past decade could swiftly disappear if Bill 108 as proposed is approved. The Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks suggests these proposed amendments will “improve outcomes for species at risk”. In fact the opposite is true. If adopted they will provide loopholes so that lands now afforded some protection can be destroyed.
Our organization strongly opposes some of the proposed amendments to the Endangered Species Act that will allow for the destruction of habitat in our province. This destruction will add to the growing list of extinct and extirpated species within Ontario.

Regards
Bill Roesel
President
The Friends of Ojibway Prairie