Environmental organizations in Ontario are alarmed by proposed legislation, Bill 5, which would repeal the original Endangered Species Act and replace it with a less stringent Species Conservation Act. They argue that the new act, part of the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, compromises critical protections for the province's rarest species. Ecojustice Canada attorney Laura Bowman criticized the bill for allowing harmful development activities that could lead to species extinction under the guise of economic progress, ultimately endangering wildlife and abandoning essential conservation measures.
Environmental groups are raising concerns about newly tabled Ontario legislation that they say will be 'catastrophic' for wildlife and weaken government protections for 'species that are the rarest' in the province.
Laura Bowman, staff lawyer for Ecojustice Canada, said on Tuesday the bill is about 'scapegoating of environmental protection' in the name of economic progress.
Bowman said the bill narrows the definition of habitat for animals to mean only their dwelling place and the area immediately around it.
She added: 'What we're headed toward, if this bill goes ahead, is really just abandoning species protection.'
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