Mike Schreiner released the following response to Premier Ford’s radio comments about changes to the Endangered Species Act:

“The Premier is doubling down on reckless changes to the Endangered Species Act that will harm Ontario’s threatened and endangered species, even while the world experiences a biodiversity crisis.

Instead of dispensing patchy information about wolf behaviour over the radio, the Premier should listen to the scientific community, which slammed his hit job on the Endangered Species Act last week.

The Premier might think it’s easy for wolves to pick up and move to New York if their habitat is destroyed in Ontario. But his government has yet to show any scientific basis for these new flexible compliance rules.

On the other hand, scientists and conservationists have spoken out loudly against the political interference that the Ford government has introduced into the Endangered Species Act.

Ontario can protect species and create jobs if we put evidence before ideology. I’m happy to work with the Premier to make this happen.”