Join Ontario Nature in urging the Government of Ontario to restore provincial wetland protections before it’s too late! | Immediate Action Needed to Restore Provincial Wetland Protections in Ontario

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

2,688 emails sent

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

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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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