Today we’re releasing a special episode in response to recent changes to environmental policy in Ontario. To understand these changes and their implications we had a conversation with Dr. Connie O’Connor, the Director of the Ontario Northern Boreal Program with Wildlife Conservation Society-Canada. 

Before joining WCS-Canada, Connie completed her PhD at Carleton University under the supervision of Dr. Steven Cooke, and also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at McMaster University, where she was recognized with the Alice Wilson Medal from the Royal Society of Canada for outstanding academic qualifications in Science! 

Connie has been with WCS-Canada for 10 years now, working on fish ecophysiology and conservation prioritization. She is also a past member of the Freshwater Fish Specialist Subcommittee of the committee on the status of endangered wildlife in Canada (or COSEWIC), and is an Adjunct Professor at Lakehead and Laurentian Universities. 

With Connie, we discussed the new Ontario Provincial Omnibus Bill 5, also known as the “Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act”. For this discussion we’re hoping to raise awareness about the Bill, which if passed, will work to weaken environmental governance, and even democratic process in Ontario. We want to encourage listeners to familiarize themselves with the Bill and consider submitting their comments while the bill is still undergoing legislative process. After two readings in parliament, the Bill has now been referred to Ontario’s Standing Committee on the Interior which will review the Bill, and this may include public consultations, expert testimonies, and proposed amendments. After the committee's review, the Bill will return to the Legislative Assembly for a third reading. So there are a few ways for the public to engage with the Bill’s review (links below)- You can submit comments on the different aspects of the Bill through Ontario’s Environmental Registry until May 17th, and The Standing Committee on the Interior is accepting oral presentations on May 22 and May 26 in Toronto and Written submissions until May 26. You can also add your name to a petition that’s being assembled by Ecojustice.

Overall, Bill 5 represents a continuation of environmental deregulation that we’ve seen from this Provincial government, and will implement changes that effectively nullify the efforts that conservation advocates have been advancing for decades in Ontario. So we hope our chat with Connie conveys the implications of these changes, and can spur those listening to make their opinion heard. 

Bill details: https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-44/session-1/bill-5

Submit comments to the Environmental Registry: https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/025-0380

and

https://ero.ontario.ca/index.php/notice/025-0391

Submit comments for the Standing Committee: https://www.ola.org/en/apply-committees

Ecojustice Petition: https://ecojustice.ca/take-action/tell-doug-ford-ontarios-wildlife-isnt-for-sale/