Environmental groups are raising concerns about proposals to revamp species-at-risk policies.
Ecojustice Canada, Environmental Defence and the Wildlife Conservation Society Canada say Bill 5, also known as the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, would repeal Ontario's existing Endangered Species Act passed in 2007, and replace it with a significantly watered down version of the original act called the Species Conservation Act.
The legislation, introduced Thursday in the Ontario Legislature, has passed first reading.
Laura Bowman, staff lawyer for Ecojustice Canada, said "this won't speed up projects. It will be catastrophic for wildlife. What we're headed toward, if this bill goes ahead, is really just abandoning species protection."
Bowman said the bill narrows the definition of habitat for animals to mean only their dwelling place and the area immediately around it, as opposed to a broader area necessary for survival.
In a news release on Thursday, Ecojustice Canada said the legislation would gut environmental assessment processes, speed mining and infrastructure development and take a "register-first, ask-questions-later" approach that would allow developers to begin projects before their environmental implications are fully known.
