Let's Protect the house that all living things call home - A Message to Zoo Members re:Bill 5
I am reaching out today as some of the rarest and most at-risk wild species in Ontario are threatened by the provincial government and they need your voice. This includes species your Toronto Zoo has invested significant efforts to protect, such as the Eastern loggerhead shrike, Blanding’s turtle, Wood turtle, bats, Massasauga rattlesnake, and Boreal caribou. The introduction of Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, 2025 — rolls back environmental protection in a way that could have devastating consequences for these species and the ecosystems they depend on.
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At your Toronto Zoo, our mission is to connect people, animals, conservation science, and traditional knowledge in the fight against extinction. Our vision is a world where wildlife, wild spaces, and people not only coexist — but thrive. Your support as a valued Toronto Zoo Member is essential to this work, and we are deeply grateful for your commitment.
Today we must speak out. We would be failing in our mission, our vision, our responsibility to you, and to the species we fight to protect if we remained silent in the face of this proposed provincial legislation that poses a serious threat to Ontario’s native wildlife. Bill 5 will:
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- eliminate the Endangered Species Act
- end the protection of the habitat of all species at risk and replace it with voluntary protection of only the specific location where the species nests or grows
- end the scientist-driven process of determining which species are listed as endangered and make this a political decision
- only consider stopping a development from impacting a species if that project would be solely responsible for eliminating a species from Ontario
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We have formally requested to speak before the Standing Committee reviewing this legislation, and we will be submitting a detailed written response outlining our concerns. But we cannot do this alone. We need your voice and we urge you to review the resources below, and speak out against Bill 5.
The stakes are high and the decisions we make today will shape the health of our environment, our communities, and our economy for decades to come. We are calling for meaningful dialogue — not just with scientists and conservationists, but with Indigenous knowledge keepers who hold generations of insight into the complex relationships that sustain life in this province.
Your Toronto Zoo is proud to stand with a large growing coalition of conservation and environmental organizations committed to protecting Ontario’s biodiversity. We encourage you to learn more about Bill 5 and its far-reaching impacts — and to take action.
Together, we can ensure that Ontario’s wildlife and wild spaces are protected — now and for the future. Your call to action, please reach out to your Members of Provincial Parliament to share your opinion, and add your names to the campaigns below.
Your Toronto Zoo continues to be a leader in conservation science initiatives like protecting and conserving local wildlife. If you would like to support us in our vision where people, wildlife, and wild spaces thrive, please consider making a donation to the Toronto Zoo Wildlife Conservancy, the dedicated fundraising partner to your Toronto Zoo.
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Thank you for helping ensure a future for Eastern loggerhead shrike, Blanding’s turtle, wood turtle, bats, Massasauga rattlesnake, and Boreal caribou in our province.
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Materials for reference and petitions to add your voice to:
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Contact us at [email protected] if you have any membership questions or concerns.
Please do not reply to this email as this address is not monitored.
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You are receiving this email as an exclusive benefit to your membership. Toronto Zoo is accredited by AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums). Look for their logos whenever you visit a Canadian Zoo as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you and a better future for all living things. For more information visit aza.org
Please send any inquiries to [email protected] − Mailing Address: Toronto Zoo, 361A Old Finch Ave, Toronto ON, M1B 5K7 − Phone: 416-392-9101
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We acknowledge the land we are on is the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We also acknowledge that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit and the Williams Treaty signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands.
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