Speak up for wildlife: let’s talk Bill 5
Posted onMay 9, 2025byWildlife Preservation Canada|News and Events, Species at Risk
FROM WILDLIFE PRESERVATION CANADA
9 May 2025, Guelph ON – Bill 5, Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act 2025, now tabled in Ontario, threatens to roll back key protections for species at risk and the habitats they depend on. If passed, it will weaken the very laws that prevent extinction in Ontario.
From drastically weakening permitting processes and definitions of what harms a species, to redefining what a species habitat is, there are huge implications for the future of Ontario’s wildlife. These proposed actions are not science-based.
Alongside many environmental organizations across the country, we’re speaking out about Bill 5.
Please find a suite of resources below to get informed, ask questions and speak up.
Learn more
Legislative Assembly of Ontario website
Recent articles published:
- May 10, The Pointer: Proposed Bill 5 threatens Ontario wildlife and ecosystems
- May 8, The Narwhal: Ontario’s Bill 5 sparks new concerns where a legacy of environmental damage remains
- May 6, CBC: Proposed Ontario bill would strip away key environmental protections, advocates say
- April 30, CBC: Ontario is scaling back species at risk protections, working advocates and inviting federal intervention
- April 23, The Globe and Mail: Ontario further gutting protections for endangered species, environmentalists say
- April 22, CBC: Environmental groups raise alarm about Ontario bill that would weaken species protection
- April 17, Environmental Defence: Bill 5 would end endangered species protections and attack clean energy
- April 17, Ecojustice: Ford government guts Endangered Species Act, slashes wildlife protections in Ontario
- Ontario Nature: Bill 5 Moment to Mobilize for Nature in Ontario
Webinars:
- Environmental Defence: Stop the Bill 5 power grab!
Other links:
- Environmental Defence: Stop the Bill 5
- WWF: Endangered species are not red tape
- Defend Endangered Species Linktree (includes templates, posters, pamphlets, etc.): Defend endangered species
What can I do?
Submit a comment to the Environmental Registry online, through mail or by email. Comment period is April 17 – May 17, 2025.
Mailing Address:
Public Input Coordinator – Species at Risk Protection
Species at Risk Branch
40 St. Clair Avenue West
Toronto, ON, M4V 1M2, Canada
Email: ESAReg@ontario.ca
Call or email to have your voice heard
Premier of Ontario
Phone number: 416-325-1941
Email: premier@ontario.ca
Mailing Address:
Premier of Ontario
Legislative Building
Queen’s Park
Toronto, ON, M7A 1A1
Find your local MPP
To identify and contact your local Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) visit https://www.ola.org/en/members/current
How to contact your MPP: https://www.ola.org/en/whats-happening/how-contact-your-mpp
Sample email to use:
Dear [MPP Name],
I am writing as a concerned Ontario resident who values our provinces biodiversity. Bill 5 threatens to weaken protections for species at risk and their habitats – protections that have been established through decades of scientific research and conservation efforts.
I urge you to reconsider this bill and maintain strong environmental laws that prevent extinction and preserve Ontario’s natural heritage.
Thank you for your attention to this critical matter.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Postal Code]