Open Letter to Premier: Don't Gut Ontario's Endangered Species Act | Unpublished
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Unpublished Opinions

Mike Schreiner's picture
Mike Schreiner
Toronto, Ontario
About the author

A leading advocate for independent businesses, local food and sustainable communities, Mike Schreiner is well known for his leadership in co-founding the award-winning Local Food Plus organization. He brings a proven track record in business and non-profit leadership roles to the Ontario political scene. Schreiner was elected leader of the Green Party of Ontario (GPO) on November 14, 2009. Schreiner, a 43-year old father of two, started his career in the Guelph region as an entrepreneur and advocate in the local food movement. As co-founder of WOW Foods, an award winning local organic food distribution company, Schreiner worked for over 10 years to connect local farmers with consumers in the GTA and Guelph. His business was awarded the Citizen’s Bank of Canada Ethics in Action Award for socially responsible business and the Toronto Food Policy Council’s Local Food Hero Award. He is also co-founder of Earthdance Organics, a Guelph-based food production business that supplied area health foods stores and farmer’s markets in the early 2000s. Building on that success, he helped establish Local Food Plus (LFP), a non-profit that brings farmers and consumers together to promote financially, socially and environmentally sustainable local food systems. While at LFP, the organization won the Canadian Environment Award for Sustainable Living, a Green Toronto Award of Excellence--Health Category, a Green Toronto Award of Excellence--Market Transformation Category and NOW Magazine’s Best of Toronto Award for best new environmental initiative. Family and community are important to Mike. His wife Sandy and their two daughters are active, spending their free time gardening, hiking, fishing, cycling and volunteering in community activities.

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Open Letter to Premier: Don't Gut Ontario's Endangered Species Act

June 20, 2013

In this letter to Premier Kathleen Wynne I call on her to reverse her Cabinet’s decision to gut the Endangered Species Act. Please join the Green Party's letter writing campaign in support of Ontario's Endangered Species Act. There are better ways to address the conflict between humans and wildlife!

Please share my letter with your friends and write, publish and share your own letter to Premier Wynne on Unpublished Ottawa!

Dear Premier Wynne;

I am deeply disappointed in your government’s decision to gut Ontario’s Endangered Species Act (ESA). You have failed your first big environmental test.

It's short-sighted and irresponsible for your government to dismantle protections for endangered species when we are experiencing the highest rate of species extinction since the dinosaurs died off.

In 2006, the Endangered Species Act Advisory Panel warned: “Given the clear and present dangers that threaten species at risk, exceptions provisions cannot be allowed to become loopholes.” Your decision to grant sweeping exemptions to the ESA threatens our natural heritage and the well-being of our communities.

Over 1,000 Green Party supporters agree and have sent letters to your office. Environmental NGOs and community groups are also justly outraged over this decision.

On May 16, 2007 all parties voted to support Ontario’s Endangered Species Act. It is wrong for your government to gut the legislation with a Cabinet decision made behind closed doors.

I understand that there may be concerns with the Act’s implementation. In this case, we should improve the implementation rather than undermining the Act and the health of our communities and environment. If cost is an issue with the permit process, the Ministry should update the fees to ensure full cost recovery for administering permits - this was recommended by your government’s own consultant, Don Drummond.

Instead of trashing environmental protections, I urge you to adopt innovative solutions to environmental challenges. For example, the province can address the concerns of farmers by compensating them for providing environmental goods and services. Other provinces and jurisdictions are doing this.

We have an incredible province, rich with biodiversity. Our economy relies on our natural heritage, which a Ministry of Natural Resource’s study estimates to provide services valued at $84 billion in southern Ontario alone. It makes sense to protect these assets.

Premier, Ontario cannot afford to trash environmental protections. Please do the right thing and reverse Cabinet’s decision to gut the Endangered Species Act.

Regards,

Mike Schreiner, Leader
Green Party of Ontario

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