An Action Alert For Ontario Residents – Support Protection Of Endangered Species

A Submission to Niagara At Large from the public interest group Ontario Nature

 (A short introductory note by Niagara At Large – Why is an Ontario government – that of lame duck premier Dalton Mutiny and what is left of his cabinet – setting a January 21, 2013 deadline on comments for protection endangered species in this province when it has had the nerve, since this past October, to suspend parliamentary democracy in this province until it anoints a new Liberal leader?

 Talk about a government that deserves to reach the status of an endangered species in Ontario’s next provincial election – likely to be called as soon as this spring, and not soon enough! And don’t forget, this is the same government that thinks it knows what it is doing around managing and/or culling deer herds in Niagara, Ontario’s Short Hills Park.)

January 14, 2013 – We are very concerned about the most recent recommendation from the government to weaken protection of Ontario’s at-risk wildlife.

Ontario has left one of its most majestic wild animals – the cougar – endangered because we can’t seem to make enough room for it to live.

With your support, Ontario Nature worked hard to make sure the Endangered Species Act was passed into law. However, because of budget cuts, the Ministry of Natural Resources has recommended that industrial activities be exempt from key parts of the Act.

Please join Ontario Nature in opposing the new exemptions.  The government’s proposal has been posted for public comment on the Environmental Registry – EBR Registry # 011-7696. The deadline for public comments is January 21.

The proposed exemptions will allow industry to dodge crucial Endangered Species Act (ESA) protection.

Industrial activities include constructing pits and quarries, urban development, forestry, hydro, mining, infrastructure and more.

Even if conditions are imposed to qualify for an exemption, MNR has failed to provide any details on what these conditions would be. There is no indication that the current standard – that endangered species will benefit overall if development proceeds — would be upheld.

It may not be your idea of a species worth saving, but this Common Five Lined Skink is endangered here in Niagara and elsewhere in the province. We must remember that every creature we share this earth with is vital to the whole web of life. Where is Ontario in protecting these threatened creatures?

Companies that take advantage of the exemptions may not even have to register with MNR, in which case the government won’t know what is happening on the ground. Monitoring the impact on wildlife will be completely undermined.

Please add your voice to ours. We are asking that:

1. Exemptions must be the exception. They should only be used in very limited situations where the level of risk and the level of complexity are low, and where the impacts of the activities are well understood and can be adequately addressed.
2.   Improve implementation of the ESA. Don’t weaken the law. Keep the need to get a permit before construction or logging takes place. Permits ensure that there is OVERALL BENEFIT to the species as per the ESA. Anything less is contrary to the purpose of the ESA, which is to protect and recover endangered species.
3. Registration for an exemption must be mandatory. In rare situations where an exemption may be appropriate, the proponent must be required to register with MNR, outlining the nature of the activity, the anticipated impact, and the plan to achieve overall benefit for the species and monitor results.
4. To address budgetary issues, the government can recover the costs of permitting. Make those who will benefit from the permit pay for it.

Help us push for the protection of endangered species and their habitats. Be sure to include the EBR reference # 011-7696. Remember, the deadline to submit a comment is January 21.

Yours for nature,
The Conservation Team

To read an op-ed by Dr. Anne Bell, our Director of Conservation and Education about exemptions to the ESA, please click here.

For more information, and to post draft comments online, click here.

For a copy of Ontario Nature’s full submission on the proposed changes, please e-mail Dr. Anne Bell at anneb@ontarionature.org.

Please send this e-mail to someone who shares your passion for nature.

Please consider supporting Ontario Nature’s conservation campaigns with a donation. Thank you.

 Ontario Nature protects wild species and wild spaces through conservation, education and public engagement.

Ontario Nature is a charitable organization representing more than 30,000 members and supporters and 140 member groups across Ontario.

Since it was established as the Federation of Ontario Naturalists in 1931, Ontario Nature has been a champion for nature in Ontario. Find out more at  www.ontarionature.org .

(Niagara At Large invites all of you who care to share your first and last name to comment on this post.)