Ontario Nature Blog

When the federal and provincial governments started to announce pandemic-related shutdowns in March, the first things that crossed my mind were the safety of my aging parents, and whether I could keep my job, work from home and provide childcare at the same time. It was shocking to watch how many news reports and Facebook posts were dedicated to… toilet paper. To be frank, ...

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When the Government of Ontario announced the finalized Forest Sector Strategy last week, it begged the question – when a forestry strategy falls in the forest, does anybody hear? Despite the Province lining up a queue of logging companies and affiliates to state their resounding support, the Forest Sector Strategy received almost no mainstream media ...

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Some residents of forestry-dependent communities and their elected municipal officials have expressed considerable opposition to caribou recovery planning, as they fear it will result in significant job losses or mill closures and a reduction in the industrial tax base. However, much of the planned wood supply in forest management units (FMUs) that significantly overlap boreal ...

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On October 31, 2017, Environment Canada released its long-awaited report summarizing the implementation progress of federal recovery strategy for boreal caribou. In 2012, provinces and territories were given five years to develop and finalize plans to effectively protect critical caribou habitat. Not a single province met the deadline.

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“Eco terrorist.” “Environmental extremist.” “Latte-sucking, SUV-driving, Toronto tree-hugger.” My colleagues and I have been called many names for advocating for the conservation of caribou. When you live in part of Ontario’s remaining logging empire, as I do, talking about protecting caribou habitat can be like kicking a hornet’s nest.

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