Ontario Nature Blog

This week’s blog was written and published by Ecojustice. Not long ago we thought the endangered piping plover would never appear in Ontario again. After a nearly 30-year absence, these tiny migratory birds returned to the shores of the Great Lakes, including Sauble Beach in 2007. Unfortunately, they didn’t receive a warm welcome from everyone. ...

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Turtles, often referred to as modern day dinosaurs, with their distinctive domed, bony shell, are easy to recognize. This unique armoured architecture provides turtles with protection from predators. However, despite their protective shells, seven of Ontario’s eight species of turtles are currently listed as species at-risk under the Ontario Endangered Species Act, 2007, and face ...

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In February 2019, we sounded the alarm about the provincial government’s plans to amend the Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA). Well, their proposed amendments are in and it’s worse than we predicted. On April 18, 2019, Ontario’s Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) posted an overview of its proposed changes to Ontario’s ESA. These changes ...

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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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Citizens groups across Ontario are sounding the alarm about the provincial government’s plans to amend the Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA). Here’s what you need to know:  1. The overall direction of the ESA review is environmental deregulation. Don’t be fooled. Though the government claims that it wants to improve protections for species at risk, ...

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