Dear Public Input…

Dear Public Input Coordinator,

I am very concerned about the difficult circumstances faced by species-at-risk in Ontario. Our province is home to 243 species that are at risk of extinction. Endangered and threatened species in Ontario have already been deprived of protections due to widespread exemptions for industry which were enacted in 2013. These exemptions have made it far too easy for critical habitat to be developed and/or fragmented, and for species-at-risk to not be adequately protected.

Instead of attempting to mitigate the effects of the more than one million species across the globe that are at risk of extinction, the Government of Ontario is doing the opposite. In Bill 108, it has included the "More Homes, More Choice Act" - 20 pages of amendments to the Endangered Species Act that would simply abandon or ignore species-at-risk. Preservation of our natural heritage is essential and should involve both protecting and recovering at-risk species (e.g., the Blanding’s Turtle, Lake Sturgeon, Boreal Caribou, Polar Bear, Wolverine, Hog-Nosed Snake, Wood Turtle, Olive-Sided Flycatcher).

Some of the more problematic amendments which are being proposed for the Endangered Species Act include:

• allowing significant delays and interference regarding the listing of species-at-risk;
• permitting exceptions and mechanisms for proponents to avoid prohibitions regarding these species and/or their habitats;
• placing severe limitations on the government’s actions to protect and recover species-at-risk;
• developing landscape agreements that would allow proponents to harm some species-at-risk in exchange for benefitting others; and,
• proposing a “pay-to-slay” option - a new regulatory charge that proponents can pay in lieu of protecting and restoring species-at-risk or their habitats.

Decisions on which species should be classified as “extirpated”, “endangered”, “threatened”, or those of “special concern” (and the subsequent conservation mechanisms that are required for them) should be science-based and made only by scientists who work in the field. Politicians should have no involvement in this process.

I strongly urge you to ensure that the Endangered Species Act is implemented as it was originally intended – with a focus on protecting and recovering species-at-risk. This legislation must lead to recovery for vulnerable species in Ontario rather than changes that will drive more of them toward extinction. To this end, please remove Schedule 5 (which contains deleterious proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act) from Bill 108.

Thank you for your consideration.