© Lora Denis
May 8, 2024–Corina Brdar
Conservation News•Campaigns and advocacy•Protected Places•Reduce Your Footprint
Quetico Provincial Park, mature white pines © Noah Cole
Nature advocates have come a long way since the days of “fortress conservation” when nature was thought to be a place where humans aren’t. We now understand that humans have always been a part of nature, and conservation doesn’t work if it comes at the cost of Indigenous rights or local livelihoods. But it seems ...
April 11, 2024–Janet Stavinga
Conservation News•Campaigns and advocacy•Habitat•Nature Network•Wetlands
Lookout over the Goulbourn Wetland Complex, a provincially significant wetland, at the headwaters of Poole Creek, along the Trans Canada Trail just west of Stittsville. © Brian Beattie
In a province already experiencing extensive wetland loss, one would think all efforts would be made to protect those that remain. However, from March 2023 to March 2024, 156 hectares of wetlands across 17 municipalities lost their Provincially Significant Wetland (PSW) designation and the strong provincial protection that designation imparts.* The highest proportion of these ...
Rapids clubtail dragonfly © Dan Irizarry CC_BY-NC-SA 2.0
Yet again, the people of Ontario are witnessing an attempt by the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) to weaken protections for the province’s species at risk. If approved, proposed changes to “streamline” several regulations under the Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA) will create new loopholes to harm species at risk and their habitats, ...
Lake Nipissing shoreline wetlands © Vanessa Denov
As the Government of Ontario seeks input on its next budget, will it consider a golden egg from the federal government? A year has passed since COP15 – the United Nations biodiversity conference in Montreal where 196 countries signed onto a global agreement to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. As the Government of Canada develops ...
January 25, 2024–Corina Brdar
Campaigns and advocacy•Land-use planning•Reduce Your Footprint•Stewardship and restoration
Contaminated tailings pond, Elliot Lake © MrFussyFont CC BY 2.0
Ontario is in a mining boom due to the urgent need to wean ourselves off fossil fuels. A transition towards renewable – also known as green – energy is essential to lessen the impacts of climate change. But so-called green energy has its own environmental and social costs, which can’t be overlooked. Renewable energy requires ...
Paswe Protected Area © Carter Dorscht