The Government of Ontario's Bill 5, the Species Conservation Act, received Royal Assent and came into force on October 31, 2024. This new legislation replaces the province's previous Endangered Species Act, 2007. The government states the new act aims to create a more flexible, landscape-based approach to species conservation while supporting economic development.
Environmental groups, including the David Suzuki Foundation and Ontario Nature, have strongly criticized the changes. They argue the new act weakens automatic protections for species at risk, introduces longer timelines for action plans, and expands ministerial discretion to delay or avoid issuing protection orders. Specific concerns include altered rules for species and habitat protection.
The legislation lists species like the redside dace and barn owl, which remain classified as endangered. However, critics contend the new framework makes it harder to secure timely, mandatory habitat protection for these and other at-risk plants and animals. The government maintains the act will improve outcomes through collaborative, province-wide recovery strategies.
