​Ontario government urged to repeal Bill 5

To the Editor:

Recently, as the new legislative session began, Ontario Nature hosted the inaugural Nature at Queen's Park event to raise the profile of nature among members of provincial parliament and their staff.

Ontario Nature and its Nature Network partners focused on engaging MPPs about protecting more of our lands and waters, strengthening protections for species at risk, and protecting and restoring our wetlands.

MPPs and staff of all parties attended the event and we noted with interest, a photo of Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson with Ontario Nature executive director Andrés Jiménez Monge. As members of Ontario Nature, we hope she enjoyed engaging with the group’s staff, board members and partners, as well as species at risk brought from Scales Nature Park which works to conserve the reptiles and amphibians that could be impacted by Bill 5.

We also hope she reads our club newsletter which we send to her regularly, so she’ll know that members of Huron Bruce Nature care deeply about the environment and all the animal and plant species that exist in Bruce and Huron counties.

Our monthly meetings focus on education and enjoyment of nature but we also partner with local groups, such as the Lake Huron Coastal Centre and the Saugeen and Maitland Valley Conservation Authorities, to work on education and conservation initiatives. Our outings give members the opportunity to explore diverse habitats and eco-systems many of which are unique to our area.

As Huron-Bruce constituents, we want Thompson to know that we oppose Bill 5 and the environmental damage it will allow. We feel that economic uncertainty cannot be used as a pretense for sacrificing vulnerable species, transparent governance and Indigenous rights.

We urge the Ontario government to repeal Bill 5 immediately. We need economic solutions that operate in harmony with nature, not in conflict with it, and that support Indigenous reconciliation.

Sincerely,
Christine Roberts
Huron-Kinloss Township
President of Huron Bruce Nature