Ford government's proposed legislation would be 'catastrophic for wildlife,' environmental groups warn

Muriel Draaisma · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 22, 2025 8:50 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

Environmental groups are raising concerns astir recently tabled Ontario authorities that they accidental volition beryllium "catastrophic" for wildlife and weaken government protections for "species that are the rarest" successful the province.

Ecojustice Canada, Environmental Defence and the Wildlife Conservation Society Canada say Bill 5, besides known arsenic the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, would repeal Ontario's existing Endangered Species Act passed in 2007, and regenerate it with a importantly watered down mentation of the archetypal enactment called the Species Conservation Act.

The legislation, introduced Thursday successful the Ontario Legislature, has passed archetypal reading.

Laura Bowman, unit lawyer for Ecojustice Canada, said connected Tuesday the measure is astir "scapegoating of biology protection" successful the sanction of economical progress. She said the measure would let the state to contented a developer's licence adjacent if a task volition origin terrible diminution to a taxon oregon effect successful the extinction of a species.

"This won't velocity up projects. It volition beryllium catastrophic for wildlife," Bowman said. "What we're headed toward, if this measure goes ahead, is truly conscionable abandoning taxon protection."

The nonsubjective of protecting taxon is gone and has been replaced with thing "scientifically untenable," she added.

Bowman said the measure narrows the explanation of situation for animals to mean lone their dwelling place and the area immediately astir it, arsenic opposed to a broader country indispensable for survival.

"If you deliberation of thing similar a fox, it would conscionable beryllium the den and the ungraded astir the den, not immoderate of the situation that it lives in, that it needs for nutrient to find a mate, not immoderate of the aerial that it breathes astir the den, the h2o that it drinks — each not protected successful the archetypal spot by this legislation," she said.

In a quality merchandise connected Thursday, Ecojustice Canada said the authorities volition gut biology appraisal processes, velocity mining and infrastructure improvement and instrumentality a "register-first, ask-questions-later" attack that would let developers to statesman projects earlier their biology implications are afloat known.

Tim Gray, enforcement manager of Environmental Defence, described the measure arsenic "anti-environmental" and "cynical."

"The repeal of Ontario's Endangered Species Act means that taxon that are the rarest — plants, animals that are conscionable hanging connected by their toenails, truthful to talk — are going to beryllium overmuch much astatine hazard successful this province," Gray said.

In a quality release, the Wildlife Conservation Society Canada (WCS Canada) said the redefinition of "habitat" is "especially troubling fixed that situation nonaccomplishment and degradation are the starring threats to astir taxon astatine risk."

WCS Canada said the measure goes further, allowing "Ontario to disregard taxon listings based connected autarkic technological assessments utilizing internationally recognized criteria, opening the doorway to exclude taxon from extortion erstwhile doing truthful is politically oregon economically expedient."

The authorities would besides destruct provincial work for federally listed migratory birds and aquatic taxon due to the fact that it says specified birds and taxon are under federal jurisdiction, it said.

"This overlooks the world that coordinated enactment is essential, fixed the province's work for onshore use, earthy assets management, and permitting decisions that straight impact taxon successful provincial waters and connected provincial lands," WCS Canada said.

Environment ministry defends bill

In a connection connected Tuesday, Ontario's Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks denied that the measure would weaken taxon protection.

"Through our government's projected Species Conservation Act, we are focusing extortion efforts wherever they volition person the astir impact," ministry spokesperson Alex Catherwood said successful the statement.

"These changes volition beryllium supported by an enhanced Species Conservation Program, which volition spot backing much than quadrupled to $20 cardinal each twelvemonth for connected the crushed projects that straight enactment efforts to conserve and support listed species," Catherwood continued.

"Our authorities is besides strengthening our quality to enforce taxon conservation laws, including caller powers that volition let task sites to beryllium inspected without a warrant. Our attack volition support beardown biology protections by establishing clear, enforceable rules for businesses to follow, with pugnacious fines for non-compliance — determination volition beryllium nary tolerance for atrocious actors."

According to the Green Party of Ontario, however, the authorities volition let for "harmful projects" to proceed earlier the state understands their afloat interaction connected radical and the environment.

"This is the incorrect absorption for Ontario," Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said successful a quality merchandise connected Tuesday.