Why leave your kids to suffer what I suffered?
As an older Canadian who did not have access to invented vaccines and had to suffer through red measles, German measles, chicken pox and mumps, l do not understand parents who would put their children through this, when vaccines are available.
School boards should absolutely suspend children who are not fully vaccinated.
Ken Perkin, Scarborough
Proposed change to endangered species act is ecological vandalism
The Doug Ford government is proposing to wipe out the Endangered Species Act, 2007 and replace it with legislation so weak it may as well be a death sentence for Ontario’s wildlife. The Species Conservation Act, 2025, is not conservation — it’s cover for deregulation. It strips away science, silences independent experts, guts habitat protection, and hands unchecked power to politicians and developers.
This is not modernization. This is ecological vandalism.
The Endangered Species Act was created because we had already failed endangered species for too long. It was a turning point — making recovery not optional, but a legal obligation. The new proposal reverses all of that. It abandons recovery planning, removes science from the equation, and redefines “habitat” so narrowly it would exclude vast areas that species rely on to survive. Forests, wetlands, breeding grounds — discarded.
Under this new law, politicians would decide which species deserve protection — not scientists. Developers could bulldoze critical ecosystems without independent review. And the government would no longer even be required to help species recover. This is deliberate abandonment.
Worse, it signals a chilling truth: Ontario’s government no longer sees the loss of species — or the health of ecosystems — as its responsibility.
This assault on environmental law comes at the same time as the province pushes ahead with mining projects in the Ring of Fire, without proper consultation or consent from Indigenous communities. It’s part of a larger pattern — one that ignores rights, science, and accountability, all in the name of short-term industrial gain.
We are in the middle of a global biodiversity crisis. More than 230 species in Ontario are already at risk of extinction. This is not the time to walk away — it’s the time to act with courage. Premier Ford and Minister McCarthy must withdraw this proposed change. The Endangered Species Act needs to be enforced, not erased. Future generations will judge us by how we protect what cannot protect itself.
This is the line. And the people of Ontario must not let it be crossed.
Gord Miller, chair, Earthroots, former Environmental Commissioner of Ontario
Bubble zones in pc28are a bad idea
pc28city council’s potential adoption of “bubble zones” around religious institutions to curb legitimate protests is a violation of civil rights and irresponsible.
What would be next for these bubble zones? Perhaps council might want to create them around hospitals for people who are holding protests on health policy, or maybe all embassies could have zones so people could not voice their dissension against certain policies these countries hold. Perhaps we could even create a bubble zone around city hall.
Why is it every time councillors see an issue, they feel compelled to try and pass a bylaw instead of addressing the core problems of our society, which is where many of these issues are rooted.
Protest is good for society. It keeps us honest by keeping these issues alive and in the public eye instead of pretending they do not exist. It is a fundamental tenet of our democracy, that is essential for public discourse.
The councillors who are supporting this are the ones who are themselves in a bubble zone, oblivious to the perils of what they are considering.
Adrian Heaps, Toronto
Climate crisis solutions begin with an informed electorate
Canadians just experienced a federal election campaign that was virtually silent on climate policy and action.
Star climate change reporter Marco Chown Oved explains the dilemma PM Mark Carney now faces when it comes to trying to please the fossil fuel industry, as oilsands producers and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith are ‘dead set against any climate policy.’
Citizens deserve informed debate and exchange on the existential climate crisis.
That leading candidates in our recent election (in the words of one of Oved’s interviewees, “Climate itself was not going to be a helpful topic in terms of getting elected”) dodged serious climate discussion speaks volumes to the climate consciousness work yet to be done.
Kudos to the Star for this article. Because time is running out for taking action on the climate crisis. And we need more journalism like Oved’s that reveals the narratives driving current climate consciousness. Effective climate action and policy requires informed climate consciousness.
Charles Novogrodsky, Toronto
Our government is not responsible for obtaining HBC’s assets
If Canadians feel it is essential that certain assets of HBC must be saved from private collectors, then get together, outbid the competition and donate the assets to an appropriate public institution.
HBC creditors should not be the ones to absorb this loss.
Raymond Culp, Huntsville, Ont.
Ontario needs to adopt opt-out organ donation rules
I was so delighted to read the article regarding the recommendation of the opt-out not opt-in procedure for organ donation.
Many countries have made this change, including Great Britain, Spain, France, and Netherlands. Nova Scotia is the first Canadian province to adopt this, and in the first year has seen a 40 per cent increase in donors.
Surely we in Ontario, and hopefully Canada at large, can help to alleviate the huge need for organ donations.
I ask, what is the argument for opposing this not-so-revolutionary idea?
If citizens have a religious objection, they can make their choice to opt-out.
David Rubin, Stouffville, Ont.
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