Ford Government Moving to Wave  Ontario’s Endangered  Species Protection Laws for Developers

On the Eve of Earth Day, 2019, Ford and his Tory MPPs continue their Rlentloess War on our Environment

An Urgent Outcry from Ontario Nature, a not-for-profit citizens advocacy group for protecting what is left of Ontario’s natural heritage

Posted April 18^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ontario’s Environment Minister Rod Phillips shamelessly outlines plans to let developers do end run around endangered species laws, while his boss, Doug Ford, looks on.

When the government holds a press conference in the afternoon before a long weekend, the news is unlikely to be good.

Indeed, today Minister Rod Phillips (Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks) announced proposed changes to Ontario’s Endangered species Act.

As we feared, these changes would effectively allow the government to ignore the pressing need to save Ontario’s most vulnerable plants and animals.

Niagara citizens rally o save Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls, Ontario and wildlife in it from plans by developers to build there. file photo

If the changes go through –

• * Species listed as threatened or endangered may no longer be automatically protected.
• * The Minister will have discretion to interfere with the listing of at-risk species at his convenience, bringing politics into the listing process.
• * Developers and other proponents of harmful activities will be able to “pay-to-slay” by paying into a fund to compensate for harming species at risk and their habitats (rather than providing an on-the-ground overall benefit to species).
• * Southern Ontario species at the northern limit of their range may receive less or no protection, depending on their status outside Ontario.

These moves are regressive and dangerous.

The world is facing the largest mass extinction since the dissappearance of the dinosaurs.

Yet the Government of Ontario has proposed to gut Ontario’s gold standard law, bowing to pressure from industry and sprawl developers. We will continue to do everything possible to protect at-risk plants and animals in Ontario.

We hope you will continue to stand with us. We will be putting out an Action Alert shortly with a detailed analysis and a request for people to sign in the days to come.

Please stay tuned.

In the meantime, if you wish to express your immediate outrage, please contact your local Member of Provincial Parliament <https://ontarionature.thankyou4caring.org/page.redir?target=http%3a%2f%2fwww.ola.org%2fen%2fmembers%2fcurrent%2fcontact-information&srcid=38872&srctid=1&erid=3966637&trid=312f5ea3-dd5a-44b9-9401-fa21e0b188a7>.

For another statement from Ontario Nature and other environmental groups, click on – <https://ontarionature.thankyou4caring.org/page.redir?target=https%3a%2f%2fontarionature.org%2fnews-release%2fgovernment-proposes-to-gut-endangered-species-act%2f&srcid=38872&srctid=1&erid=3966637&trid=312f5ea3-dd5a-44b9-9401-fa21e0b188a7>

About Ontario Nature – Ontario Nature protects wild species and wild spaces through conservation, education and public engagement. Ontario Nature is a charitable organization representing more than 30,000 members and supporters, and 155 member groups across Ontario.

For more information about Ontario Nature,  visit ontarionature.org.

For a news piece that Canada’s National Observer magazine just posted on this issue, click on – https://www.nationalobserver.com/2019/04/18/news/ontario-may-let-developers-pay-fee-lieu-onerous-endangered-species-act-protections

A Brief Footnote from Niagara At Large –

You can count on this news and commentary site to continue putting the heat on the Ford government and the war it is waging on our environment on behalf of their greedy allies in the development industry, petro-chemical industry and other private sectors that would stop at nothing to enrich themselves.

In the meantime, please join your friends and neighbours, and any good groups that are out there to stop these vandals from destroying what is left of our natural heritage for present and future generations.

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“A politician thinks of the next election. A leader thinks of the next generation.” – Bernie Sanders