Immediate Action Needed to Restore Provincial Wetland Protections in Ontario

Ontario’s wetlands are incredibly valuable for many reasons. Wetlands mitigate flooding, store carbon and provide habitat for a diverse range of species, making them significant nature-based climate solution powerhouses. However, these powerhouses need our help now more than ever.

Wetland loss has already exceeded 72 percent in southern Ontario, and losses are ongoing. To make matters worse, changes to Ontario’s planning policy and legislation over the past several years have undermined wetland protection across the province, accelerating wetland loss.These changes include:

The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) quietly abandoned their Wetland Conservation Strategy (2017-2030 ...

Ontario’s wetlands are incredibly valuable for many reasons. Wetlands mitigate flooding, store carbon and provide habitat for a diverse range of species, making them significant nature-based climate solution powerhouses. However, these powerhouses need our help now more than ever.

Wetland loss has already exceeded 72 percent in southern Ontario, and losses are ongoing. To make matters worse, changes to Ontario’s planning policy and legislation over the past several years have undermined wetland protection across the province, accelerating wetland loss.These changes include:

The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) quietly abandoned their Wetland Conservation Strategy (2017-2030), which provided critical framework of wetland conservation targets and actions, including a goal of halting and reversing wetland loss by 2030.
The MNR introduced a new and significantly weakened Ontario Wetland Evaluation System (OWES), making it much harder for many wetlands to achieve and maintain “Provincially Significant” status and the high level of protection it affords.
Changes to the Conservation Authorities Act and its regulations in 2020, 2022 and 2024 have significantly undermined conservation authorities’ ability to contribute to environmentally-sound land use planning that protects wetland ecosystems, shrunk their area of jurisdiction adjacent to Provincially Significant Wetlands (PSW) and granted the Minister of Natural Resources additional powers to override conservation authorities’ permitting decisions.
Changes to the Planning Act in 2020 specified that the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing can use Minister’s Zoning Orders (MZOs) to approve developments that are not consistent with provincial planning policies, which could impede the strict protection of PSWs.
The new Provincial Planning Statement (2024) leaves more than half of the wetlands classified under the Natural Heritage System of the Growth Plan unprotected and vulnerable to development, as the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe is no longer in effect. This change will also remove previously held limits on the extent of greenfield sprawl development.

Provincial wetland protections are divided among multiple ministries and pieces of legislation. The trend in these changes is clear: Ontario’s wetlands have been put at greater risk.

In response, we ask you to please join Ontario Nature in urging the Government of Ontario to fulfil its obligation to conserve vital wetland ecosystems by restoring provincial wetland protections to their prior strength. Specifically, we are asking the provincial government to:

Reinstate and effectively implement the Wetland Conservation Strategy (2017-2030).
Restore and strengthen the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System (OWES).
Restore the planning authority of conservation authorities granted by the Conservation Authorities Act, along with their regulated area adjacent to wetlands, so they can continue to protect wetlands and adjacent areas through environmentally-sound decision-making.
Implement a moratorium on all new approvals for gravel mining in Ontario until a reliable and objective assessment is conducted to evaluate current licensed operations in relation to industry demands, along with revising the Aggregate Resources Act and associated regulations and policies.
Remove the ability to issue Minister’s Zoning Orders where they impact wetlands and other sensitive ecosystems.
Restore the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH) and the broader protections it provides for wetlands within the GGH. Restore previously held measures to limit the extent of greenfield sprawl development.
Implement Article 26 of the United Nations Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the government’s environmental framework and decision-making.

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Photo credit: Southern Ontario rural wetland © M.J. Thompson

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Join Ontario Nature in urging the Government of Ontario to restore provincial wetland protections before it’s too late!

Minister of Natural Resources, Graydon Smith;
Minister of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks, Andrea Khanjin;
Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Paul Calandra;
your local MPP

Find your local rep

Subject:

Dear Ministers Smith, Khanjin, and Calandra,

Today I am urging you to reverse the many recent changes that have weakened provincial wetland protections across Ontario.

Specifically, I ask that:

The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR):

- Reinstate and effectively implement the Wetland Conservation Strategy (2017-2030).

- Restore the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System (OWES) to more accurately account for connectivity among wetland complexes, recognize the value of endangered and threatened species habitat and to restore the MNR’s role in overseeing evaluations. 
- Incorporate a meaningful approach for seeking input from Indigenous Peoples across Ontario on how to ensure Indigenous rights and values are respected and accurately reflected in the scoring system.

- Implement a moratorium on all new approvals for gravel mining in Ontario until a reliable and objective assessment is conducted to evaluate current licensed operations in relation to provincial demand for aggregates.

The Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks:

- Amend the Conservation Authorities Act to;

- Repeal subsections 28(4.1) and 28(4.2) which may exempt certain developments approved under the Planning Act from requiring a permit from the relevant conservation authority.

- Amend subsection 28.1(1) and 28.1(6) to restore conservation authorities’ ability to consider the impacts of proposed developments on pollution and the conservation of land when making permitting decisions.

- Repeal subsections 28.1(8) to 28.1(19), 28.1(21) and 28.1(23) which allow development applicants to request a review by the Minister of Natural Resources if they are dissatisfied with their conservation authority’s permitting decision.

- Repeal section 28.1.1 which allows the Minister of Natural Resources to, by order, halt a conservation authority’s permitting process and establish themself as the ultimate decision-maker in the permitting process for specific development applications.

- Repeal section 28.1.2 and amend the legislation to specify that development applications approved via Minister’s Zoning Orders (MZOs) do not overrule conservation authority permitting decisions and that the relevant conservation authority retains full authority to deny or place conditions on a permit where a development proposal falls within its jurisdiction.

- Amend subsection 2.(3) of O. Reg. 41/24 such that conservation authorities’ regulated area is restored to within 120 metres of a PSW or wetland greater than two hectares at minimum, or ideally to expand conservation authorities’ regulated area to within 150 metres of a PSW or wetland greater than two hectares; and within 30 metres of wetlands less than two hectares.

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing:

- Repeal subsections 47(1.1) to 47(1.3) of the Planning Act which allows the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to issue MZOs authorizing developments that may be inconsistent with provincial planning policies and without public consultation. Amend the Planning Act to indicate that all MZOs must abide by all provincial planning policies and must require a public consultation period.

- Restore A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (the Growth Plan) and the broader protection it provides for wetlands within the Greater Golden Horseshoe.

- Restore the Growth Plan and Provincial Policy Statement’s measures to limit the overall extent of greenfield sprawl development in the new version of the Provincial Planning Statement.

All ministries:

- Implement Article 26 of the United Nations Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in your environmental framework and decision-making.

Wetlands provide incredible benefits such as preventing floods, preserving biodiversity and storing carbon. Despite these immense values, wetland losses have exceeded 72 percent in southern Ontario and have continued to occur at an accelerating rate. If these protections are not restored, Ontario will continue to lose critical wetland ecosystems, leaving communities increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and jeopardizing much of the province’s treasured native biodiversity.

I hope you will take immediate action to address these concerns and secure a safe and sustainable future for Ontario.

Thank you for your consideration.

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