Ontario Nature Blog

In 2019 the Government of Ontario rammed through amendments to our Endangered Species Act (ESA), decimating protections for the province’s most imperiled plants and animals. Among the changes was a new power allowing the government to override automatic protections for newly listed threatened and endangered species, and their habitats. The Ministry of Environment, Conservation and ...

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If you have any doubt about the importance of the Greenbelt, take a moment to listen to the voices of Ontario Nature’s Youth Council in their new video. They clearly spell out the Greenbelt’s many benefits, including local food, clean water, climate resilience, wildlife habitat, jobs, financial security and more. Hearing from these young people, ...

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The Lake Simcoe Protection Plan is now up for its required 10-year review. The question is whether the provincial government will take this opportunity to strengthen or weaken the plan – or do anything at all. The Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks has not revealed its intentions. Rather than proposing specific amendments for consideration, ...

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Stratford is one of the many communities across Ontario struggling with the unwelcome imposition of a Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO) to fast-track development. In Stratford’s case, the MZO is to make way for a glass factory on 175 acres of prime farmland at the edge of the city. Issued by the Minister of Municipal Affairs ...

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Gratitude. Relationship. Reciprocity. These are words that often emerge in conversations with Indigenous colleagues. They point to a far more just and caring way of living with each other and the natural world than prevailing settler concepts like “resource” and “land use.” This World Wetlands Day, let’s take a moment to reflect on our relationships ...

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