Nature Barrie is a local…

Nature Barrie is a local naturalists' club operating in the Barrie and Simcoe County area since 1951.

We strongly support and endorse the comments sent in to this EBR posting by Ontario Nature and the Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition (SCGC).

This Provincial government needs to totally rethink their priorities with respect to environmental protection, protection of natural heritage and combatting climate change. The entire concept of "Pay to Slay", also known as "Ontario, Yours to Destroy", is incredibly short-sighted and will, in the long term, cost the taxpaying citizens of Ontario far more than preserving natural areas for the ecological benefits they provide for us at no cost.

The final two paragraphs of the SCGC submission sum up our feelings extremely well.

"With the Species at Risk Conservation Fund and broader changes to the ESA, the future of these species is very grim. We support the submission of Ontario Nature and like Ontario Nature stand strongly opposed to the government implementing the Species at Risk Conservation Fund.

Instead, the government should be implementing policy that puts public health first and foremost. This would include stronger protection of sensitive habitats, measures to increase and strengthen biodiversity, preserving places that are known carbon sinks, flooding regulators and climate change mitigators (wetlands, forests). Unfortunately, these proposals move us further away from forward thinking conservation action that has been the backbone of Ontario’s policy structure for decades."

Thank you for considering our submission.

Sincerely,

Nature Barrie