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Category Archives: Endangered Species Act

ERO-019-6141 – Legislative & Regulatory proposals affecting Conservation Authorities

By Linda Heron on Thursday, November 24th, 2022
Posted in Bill 23, Conservation Authorities Act, Endangered Species Act, Environmental Registry, Industry, Municipal, MZOs, Ontario Water Resources Act, ORA Submissions, Planning Act, Provincial Policy Statement, Regulatory Submissions, River Concerns, Rivers at Risk, Species at Risk, Urban Development, Water Quality, Watershed Planning

“Consider This” by Storm Crypt is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

The Ontario government’s own 2020 report, “Protecting People and Property: Ontario’s Flooding Strategy,” which resulted from the 2019 flooding disaster, states very clearly that “Flood risk management is achieved through multiple provincial acts, regulations, policies and technical guides and a wide range of provincial programs and services. Successful implementation relies on partnerships between provincial ministries, municipalities, Indigenous communities, conservation authorities, stakeholder organizations and the federal government.” 1

Instead, this proposal seeks to do the very opposite. It proposes to exempt the CAs from their authority under ten crucial Acts and their associated regulations; it blocks the CA partnership with municipalities and stakeholders and takes the authority of CAs away from permitting so they cannot properly fulfill the recommendations of this report that was commissioned by the Ontario government only a few short years ago.  Now, where is the wisdom in that?

[1] Protecting People and Property: Ontario’s Flooding Strategy, 10 March 2020. P-7/42

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ERO-019-3268 – Strengthening our Environmental Compliance Approach

By Linda Heron on Monday, June 28th, 2021
Posted in Aquatic Life, Class EA for Waterpower, Clean Water Act, Climate Change, Conservation Authorities Act, Dams, Endangered Species Act, Energy, Environmental Assessment Act, Environmental Registry, Fisheries, Hydroelectric, Land Use, Mercury, Ontario Water Resources Act, ORA Submissions, Planning Act, Policy & Process, Pollution, Provincial Policy Statement, Public Lands Act, Regulatory, River Concerns, Rivers at Risk, Sewage, Species at Risk, Toxics, Urban Development, Waste Water Treatment Facilities, Water Quality

West Credit River, Photo by Steve Noakes

The ORA offers strong support for polluters being held accountable; however, that isn’t what’s happening here.  Rather than strengthening enforcement tools that hold polluters accountable, this government is systematically and persistently dismantling, weakening or bypassing all environmental policy and legislation that was designed to protect the environment and deter those industries, corporations or individuals who would pollute and/or destroy the environment.

These ERO postings consistently mislead the public, especially in the top several paragraphs and titles, which contain misleading introductions to the proposed policy the government is proposing.  In fact, you can always count on these “modernization” policy changes to be a further attack on environmental policy and legislation. It is even more despicable that these attacks have largely been carried out during the government’s declared COVID Emergency, where no public consultation is required, and what consultation that does take place is meaningless when the main objective is to cut red tape and remove any roadblocks to development and pollution, in spite of the public’s strong recommendations to protect the environment.

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Media Release: Wastewater Treatment Plant Spells Doom for West Credit Brook Trout – Request for a federal review under the Impact Assessment Act

By Linda Heron on Thursday, February 25th, 2021
Posted in Endangered Species Act, Erin WWTP, Fisheries Act, Impact Assessment Act, Joint, Press Releases, Redside Dace, River Concerns, Rivers at Risk, Sewage, Toxics, West Credit River

The Coalition for the West Credit River is calling on Johnathan Wilkinson, (Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada) for a federal review of the Environmental Study Report (ESR) for the Erin Wastewater Treatment Plant (Erin WWTP), under the Impact Assessment Act.

The Erin Wastewater Treatment Plant (Erin WWTP) will discharge over 7 million litres of effluent daily, releasing a toxic plume of chloride, ammonia and decreased oxygen into the West Credit River, directly upstream of native Brook Trout spawning nursery and habitat, and endangered Redside Dace.

Please sign the Cut the Crap, Keep the Credit petition.

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ERO-019-2636 – More damaging amendments to undermine the Endangered Species Act – Joint

By Linda Heron on Saturday, December 19th, 2020
Posted in Blanding's Turtle, Endangered Species Act, Joint, Regulatory, River Concerns, Species at Risk

“Blandings Turtle” by tcmurray74 is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Overall, the material presented makes clear that the Fund mechanism will make it easier for habitat destruction to occur at the hands of industry and developers. Indeed, according to the proposal the main purpose of the Fund is to give operators a quicker and less cumbersome alternative to completing actions to provide an overall benefit for the species negatively impacted by their activities. The Fund is a part of a package of damaging amendments to the Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA), passed in June 2019 that, taken together, represent a gross weakening of the ability of the Act to fulfill its purpose to recover Ontario’s at-risk species. Our primary concerns with the Fund are outlined below.

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ERO-019-1749, Developing GRSs for nine Species at risk under the Endangered Species Act, 2007

By Linda Heron on Sunday, June 28th, 2020
Posted in Endangered Species Act, Environmental Registry, ORA Submissions, Recovery Strategies, Regulatory

This ERO proposal describes the GRSs as providing “stringent protections for species at risk and their habitats under the Endangered Species Act”, but how stringent are these protections when the legislation can be so easily set aside? This means that protection and recovery under the ESA is uncertain for all species at risk.

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ERO-019-1620 – Proposed amendment to a regulation under Endangered Species Act, 2007 relating to Forest Operations in Crown Forests

By Linda Heron on Thursday, June 18th, 2020
Posted in Endangered Species Act, Environmental Registry, Forest Management, ORA Submissions, Recovery Strategies, Regulatory

The wording in this Environmental Registry posting is very misleading when it claims that “Ontario is committed to providing strong protections for species at risk and improving outcomes by modernizing and improving the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act, as committed to in our Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan”. This proposal is not improving the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), it is even doubtful it will increase the profits of private corporations. It will however be to the detriment of species at risk.

Please note that the Ontario government decision is to continue with the forestry industry exemption of the Endangered Species Act when logging in Crown forests:  “A decision for this proposal has been published as a Bulletin under ERO 019-1995 on June 29, 2020.”

“Ontario has extended the temporary approach for forest operations conducted in Crown forests under the Endangered Species Act for an additional year. This will help avoid additional regulatory burden and economic strain on the forestry sector while a long-term approach is being considered.”

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ERO-013-5033 – 10th Year Review of the Endangered Species Act: Proposed Changes

By Linda Heron on Wednesday, May 15th, 2019
Posted in Endangered Species Act, Environmental Registry, ORA Submissions, Regulatory Submissions

If enacted, the proposed changes will effectively gut the Act, result in the loss of biodiversity in the Province, eliminate most of the current protections for species at risk, and reduce the likelihood of their recovery. These draconian changes are clearly designed to restrict the number of species that are listed as at risk, to permit large-scale developers to harm species at risk and destroy their habitat, and to delay the implementation of any protection measures that remain under the Act.

The government’s claim that the proposed changes will improve outcomes for species at risk is grossly misleading.

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ERO-013-4143 – Review of the Endangered Species Act, 2007 – Joint Submission

By Linda Heron on Monday, March 4th, 2019
Posted in Endangered Species Act, Environmental Registry, Joint, ORA Submissions

We note, with deep concern, that environmental deregulation – making it easier for industry and development proponents to proceed with activities that harm species at risk and their habitats – appears to be the overall focus and intent of the options put forward for consideration. Reassuring statements that the review is intended to “improve protections,” “improve effectiveness” and provide “stringent protections” (p. 2) are misleading, in light of the actual proposed changes that MECP is inviting the public to consider. These include options that would undermine the very cornerstones of the law: science-based listing (including Indigenous Traditional Knowledge), mandatory habitat protection, and legislated timelines for planning and reporting. 

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