Eastern wolf © Garth V. Reily / Source: inaturalist.org
The Ontario government is trying to quickly pass Bill 5, a dangerous dismantling of nature protections that sidelines science, renounces oversight and eviscerates protections and recovery for more than 270 species at risk of extinction, from Eastern wolves and wolverines to piping plovers and Blanding’s turtles.
Dubbed the “Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act,” Bill 5 is the latest in a series of efforts to erode environmental protections under the guise of fast-tracking economic development.
But endangered species are not red tape.
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We cannot stand by while the Ford government rushes through legislation that strips away provincial environmental protections.
Bill 5 repeals the Endangered Species Act, with the intention to replace it with a much weaker new law that puts wildlife and nature at greater risk by removing science-based decision-making and harmfully redefining habitat. The new legislation would also give the government the power to exempt any developments from all regulations in regions designated as “Special Economic Zones.”
This is not red-tape reduction; it’s environmental deregulation with no accountability at the cost of species extinctions and long-term ecological collapse.