As someone who values…

As someone who values wetlands for the incredible services they provide (water storage, water filtration) which taxpayers would otherwise have to pay for infrastructure to deal with, I have to say the proposed changes to OWES are absolutely terrible. Getting rid of provincial oversight, wetland complexes and consideration for species at risk would lead to many of our wetlands being unprotected and therefore developed. We need wetland complexes to help mitigate the increased record-breaking storm and flood events caused by climate change. I urge you to: 1) consult with conservation authorities, which are the organizations most knowledgeable on mitigating floods, 2) reinstate provincial oversight through the MNRF, and 3) keep wetland complexes in the OWES.

Damaging or even changing our wetlands will set the stage for disaster.