Ontario ‘Automatically’ Okays Permits That Harm At-risk Species

What we have suspected for some time, that Ontario’s Ministry of Environment is “essentially facilitating development rather than protecting species at risk”, has now been independently confirmed by Ontario’s Auditor-General. Below an excerpt and link to the report on this scandal in the Globe and Mail:

‘Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment automatically approves permits for developments expected to harm at-risk species, the province’s Auditor-General says in a series of reports that also chastise the government for failing to recoup millions in costs for investigating toxic spills, and for breaking its own law on public consultations.

In an annual batch of environmental reports tabled on Monday, Auditor-General Bonnie Lysyk said the province is failing to protect wildlife from developers and resource industries. The Environment Ministry, she added, is “essentially facilitating development rather than protecting species at risk.”’

Read more in the Globe and Mail, Tue Nov 23rd, 2021.