Ontario Nature Blog
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© Lora Denis
Household recycling bin © SmartSign CC BY 2.0
Recycling in Ontario is changing in a big way. As of January 1, 2026, the province has fully transitioned to a new Blue Box system that changes who is responsible for recycling and is intended to make the process more consistent across Ontario. Under the new rules, recycling is now managed and funded by the ...
Scanlon Creek Conservation Area © Ryan CC BY 2.0
Ontario’s 2026 Budget, A Plan to Protect Ontario, arrives with familiar promises of economic resilience and infrastructure growth. But beneath the surface, a persistent gap remains: meaningful investments in nature. Similar to last year’s budget, the province continues to ignore the importance of biodiversity and nature to economic resilience, community well-being and Ontario’s long-term prosperity. ...
Cottontail rabbit © Peter Ferguson
Rabbits and hares are often overlooked, even though they are a crucial part of our ecosystems serving as a key food source for many species and even an indicator of climate change. “Poor rabbits. It’s the exact reason I started rehabbing them, because I felt sorry for them,” says Tallulah, founder of My Wildlife Rescue, ...
March 26, 2026–Luke Bondi
Conservation News•Campaigns and advocacy•Conservation Authorities•Habitat•Land-use planning•Wetlands
Male caribou © Christian Schroeder
Since 2018, Ontario’s nature protections have been repeatedly weakened. While a few stories such as the ongoing changes to Conservation Authorities or the Greenbelt scandal made headlines, dozens of major changes have flown under the radar, buried deep inside massive government bills. It has been a lot to track, even for us. Today, Ontario Nature ...
March 19, 2026–Gideon Forman
Reptiles and Amphibians•Stewardship and restoration•Wild Species
Eastern hog-nosed snake © Ryan Wolfe
At a friend’s cottage I recently uncovered a copy of The Reptiles of Ontario published in 1939 by the Royal Ontario Museum of Zoology. It’s an artifact that thrills with the mention of the extraordinary nature once found near human settlement. It says that, in 1877, a timber rattlesnake, a species now extirpated from Ontario, ...
Laurel Creek Conservation Area © Carl Hiebert / Grand River Conservation Authority