Ontario’s New Species Law Betrays Nature

Ontario is on the brink of declaring open season on its most vulnerable species – and calling it “conservation”.

Under Environmental Registry posting ERO 025-0909, the provincial government has unveiled a plan to entirely repeal the Endangered Species Act (ESA) — one of the strongest wildlife protection laws in North America — and replace it with a hollow shell called the Species Conservation Act (SCA).

This proposal is nothing short of a massive rollback of environmental protection. If passed, this new law will gut protections for over 100 at-risk species, silence the public’s voice, and hand developers a free pass to destroy critical habitat. Make no mistake: this isn’t conservation – it’s a calculated rollback of nature’s last defense, disguised as reform.

A Shrinking List — and a Growing Crisis

According to the government’s own data, released in their document - Protected Species in Ontario List vs. Species at Risk in Ontario List, the number of species receiving legal protection would be slashed from 271 to just 169.

That means:

• More than one-third of Ontario’s at-risk species would lose all provincial protection.
• Every “Special Concern” species — including the Monarch Butterfly, Snapping Turtle, Wood Thrush, and Eastern Wood-Pewee — would be stripped from the list.
• 42 aquatic species and many migratory birds would be abandoned to the misinterpretation of federal laws that do not address local threats like habitat destruction or industrial development.

That’s over 100 species — gone from the list. The government is turning its back on the very species that need help the most, removing safeguards before populations have a chance to recover. This is not conservation — it’s capitulation to industrial lobbying.

A Law That Puts Developers First — and Species Last

The proposed Species Conservation Act isn’t built to save wildlife. It’s built to make it easier to destroy their habitats.

Under the new law:

• Harmful activities can go ahead after a simple “registration” — no public review, no scrutiny, no guarantees of real protection.
• The Minister can create broad exemptions allowing whole industries to bypass species protection altogether.
• All permits and orders would be exempt from the Environmental Bill of Rights, silencing the public’s right to know, comment, and appeal.

This isn’t “streamlining.” It’s dismantling the democratic and scientific safeguards that ensure decisions are made in the public interest. It hands decisions to industries, not ecologists. It listens to lobbyists, not science. And it locks out the very people who care most — you.

What’s at Stake

Every species lost is a thread torn from the tapestry of life that sustains us.

When the Monarch Butterfly disappears from our skies, when the Snapping Turtle no longer basks on our shorelines, when forests fall silent without songbirds — Ontario becomes a poorer place.

These changes threaten:

• The biodiversity that underpins our health and economy
• The resilience of ecosystems in a changing climate
• The responsibility we hold to future generations

If Ontario lets this law pass, we will be remembered as the generation that looked away.

We owe it to our children and grandchildren to defend the species that share this land — not surrender them for short-term profit.

Earthroots’ Message to the Government

We demand that Ontario:

1. Withdraw the Species Conservation Act and restore the Endangered Species Act.
2. Reassign all “Special Concern” species to the protected list and maintain provincial oversight for aquatic and migratory bird species.
3. Keep full public transparency and review under the Environmental Bill of Rights.
4. Mandate strong, enforceable standards for habitat protection and recovery planning.
5. Fund real enforcement so that promises on paper translate into protection on the ground.

Ontario can — and must — choose a different path.

A path that honours science, respects Indigenous knowledge, and recognizes that the health of our ecosystems is the foundation of our collective future.

This Is Our Moment to Act! The government is counting on public fatigue. They hope you won’t notice — or won’t care. Prove them wrong!!

Raise your voice before it’s too late!

👉 Submit your comments now: ERO Posting 025-0909

We’ve defended Ontario's forests, rivers, and wildlife before - and together we can do it again. But only if we refuse to stay silent. Because once a species is gone, no law can bring it back.

More than ever, we need your support.

Ontario’s wild needs defenders. Will you stand with us?

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