Photo (above) Credit: Patti Foley
Press Release from ecoCaledon. Note: Details and registration link for webinar with Environmental Defence this evening May 7th at 7:00pm also included below.
Ontario’s proposed Bill 5 “would end Endangered Species protection and attack clean energy” effectively overriding local protections in communities across Ontario including Caledon.
Have your say on the ‘Environmental Registry of Ontario’ to let Ontario know how you feel or sign a petition on the Ontario Nature Website.
Ontario’s Bill 5 threatens endangered plants and animals by taking away many basic protections that support sustainable development. The bill will threaten the long-term natural environment of Ontario and of local communities such as our beautiful Caledon. This will be especially destructive in Caledon as our population and infrastructure grow rapidly by 2030 and beyond. The Town’s Official Plan that protects these plants and animals will not be enforceable leaving many unprotected plants and animals: it will be devastating.
Your concerns can be voiced by going to the Environmental Registry of Ontario and providing your comments. Look for: Proposed interim changes to the Endangered Species Act, 2007 and a proposal for the Species Conservation Act, 2025
In addition , you may sign a petition asking Premier Ford to stop Bill 5 and restore the integrity of the Endangered Species Act on the Ontario Nature website (Ontario Nature | Environmental Conservation Charity)
Here is more information* about what is at stake:
- Bill 5 repeals Ontario’s Endangered Species Act (2007) and thereby takes away important protections and safeguards. For example, it would threaten animals by eliminating their required natural habitat and surroundings, denying them a lack of natural territory for survival. Imagine a fox who comes out of his den to discover a construction site and the loss of his territory. Many animals will face similar insurmountable losses.
Phil Pothen, Environment Defence’s Ontario Program Manager, characterizes the threat of Bill 5 as follows:
“Bill 5 would repeal Ontario’s Endangered Species Act, marking the end of most meaningful provincial protections for endangered, threatened and special concern species in Ontario. The idea that this wholesale slaughter of endangered plants and animals might help ‘protect Ontario’ or ‘unleash’ the economy is farcical.”
– the bill takes away Indigenous involvement by ending archeological assessments that consider indigenous and other cultural values
– it establishes special economic zones (SEZ) where Ontario and municipal laws do not apply
Laura Bowman from Ecojustice Canada speaking about Bill 5 to CBC News April 22* says:
“The bill is about “scapegoating of environmental protection” in the name of economic progress. She said the bill would allow the province to issue a developer’s permit even if a project will cause severe decline to a species or result in the extinction of a species. “This won’t speed up projects. It will be catastrophic for wildlife,” Bowman said. “What we’re headed toward, if this bill goes ahead, is really just abandoning species protection.”
In the Pointer* (April 28, 2025), Margaret Prophet, from the Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition, described the “special zones” as areas where clean water protections, endangered species, local bylaws- even indigenous treaty rights – “could simply vanish.”
To learn more about this disastrous legislation, consider joining a webinar hosted by Environmental Defence this evening, Wednesday May 7th, at 7 pm. Here’s the link to register.
There is a short period of time until May 17th for residents to express their concerns at the Environmental Registry of Ontario website, or to sign the petition at the Ontario Nature website. Comments will be shared with the province as input before the government puts forth Bill 5 for voting. This is expected to happen quickly before June 14th when the Ontario Legislature adjourns for summer. Another way to comment is through the Standing Committee for the Interior, where written submissions will be accepted until May 26th, by 6 pm.
It’s time to protect Endangered Species in Caledon and across Ontario.
Lucrezia Chiapetta, John MacRae, Betty de Groot, ecoCaledon
*Sources:
Environmental Defense website; their petition.
Ontario Nature website; their petition.
