Ontario further gutting protections for endangered species, environmentalists say

Proposed legislation from Premier Doug Ford that he says would unleash Ontario’s economy by speeding up permits for mining and other projects would also dramatically weaken the province’s endangered-species legislation, environmentalists warn.The changes, included in a bill unveiled last week and aimed at boosting growth in the face of U.S. tariffs, would give cabinet final say over which animals and plants are designated for protection, instead of a committee of experts, and narrow the legal definition of habitat essentially to an animal’s nest.