ERO-025-1134 does not represent neutral modernization of forest policy. When combined with concurrent Crown land, Public Lands Act, and economic reforms, it forms part of a coordinated deregulation agenda that will predictably intensify pressure on Ontario’s rivers through expanded hydropower and associated infrastructure. Weakening forest oversight at a time of accelerating climate change, cumulative watershed stress, and public-safety risk is neither precautionary nor responsible. ORA urges the Province to halt this trajectory and restore a science-based, integrated approach to forest, land, and river stewardship that protects Ontario’s natural heritage for present and future generations.