Fox pups © Carolina K Smith
Grow the Greenbelt
Good news – After years of Ontario Nature and our partners calling for Greenbelt expansion, it looks like it may finally happen. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has pledged to grow the Greenbelt. So far, the Ministry is considering adding the Paris Galt Moraine and public lands within urban river valleys.
While these suggestions are welcome, a much more ambitious approach is needed to protect precious farmland, groundwater and natural areas across the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH) and build the region’s resilience to climate change.
Please urge the government to take a more ambitious approach to Greenbelt expansion that will protect and enhance the resiliency of ecological, hydrological and local food systems.
© Peter Pomykacz
MZOs to trump protections for nature and farmland
Buried in Bill 257, Supporting Broadband and Infrastructure Expansion Act, 2021, is a proposal to allow Minister’s Zoning Orders (MZOs) to override legal and policy protections for farmland and natural heritage features and areas across Ontario. If the changes go forward, lands currently protected under the Provincial Policy Statement would become vulnerable to development at the whim of the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, without public consultation or any opportunity for appeal.
Please join Ontario Nature in demanding that Schedule 3 be removed from Bill 257.
© torroloco CC BY 2.0
Minister’s Zoning Orders
While we all grapple with the social and economic impacts of a global pandemic, the Government of Ontario is quietly setting the stage for development projects to proceed without public consultation or the right to appeal. The recent flurry of Minister’s Zoning Orders is fast-tracking development on farmland and greenspace. Expediting this sort of short-sighted development while keeping Ontarians in the dark does not serve the public interest.
Our focus should be on enhancing community resilience to climate change and potential future pandemics. To do so we must enable and support public participation in determining the future of our farmlands, forests, wetlands and other natural areas. Please join us in demanding greater public accountability and enhanced community resilience to climate change.
Markham © Joe Mabel CC BY-SA 2.0
Provincially Significant Wetlands no longer safe from development
The Government of Ontario is showing its true colours with recent moves to ride roughshod over protections for Provincially Significant Wetlands.
Please join Ontario Nature in urging the Government of Ontario to respect and uphold protections for Provincially Significant Wetlands and to stop its misuse of Minister’s Zoning Orders.
North Gwillimbury wetland © Tim Hagen
Protected Places Declaration
Sign the declaration to show you care about protected places and ask the governments of Ontario and Canada to meet the commitment to protect at least 17 percent of lands and inland waters by 2020.
© Pinar Özgen
Protect Boreal Caribou
Please use your voice to support caribou – the grey ghosts of the boreal forest – at: protectcaribou.ca.
Tell the Government of Canada that caribou denial myths must be dispelled, and action must be taken with provinces to plan for caribou recovery and sustainable prosperity. Your voice matters.
Boreal caribou © Mati Kurg
Impact
You can make an enormous difference and it’s free!
Ontario Nature’s advocates helped with campaigns that led to a conservation plan for the Oak Ridges Moraine, an 80 percent reduction in neonicotinoid pesticides, wetland and woodlot protection, establishment of 2.4 million hectares of new protected areas, and much more.
Oak Ridges Moraine © Jason Kalmbach
Recent Action Alerts
- Stop the Bulldozers: Developers Seeking Permit to Destroy Provincially Significant Wetland 2021-03-15
- Lake Simcoe Protection Plan Review 2021-03-04
- Conservation Authorities Under Fire 2020-12-09
- Procter & Gamble 2020-08-09
- Say No to More Sprawl, Less Nature and Less Farmland 2020-07-31
- Sauble’s piping plovers need you now! 2020-06-25
- Protect species at risk while strengthening the forest industry 2020-06-18
- Share Ontario’s Forests 2020-02-05
- Put nature first in Rondeau Provincial Park 2019-12-18
- Pits and quarries 2019-10-21
- Wolves and coyotes wrongly accused 2019-09-26
- SOS: Save Ontario Species 2019-06-06
Monarch butterfly © Robert J. Beyers II
Previous Action Alerts Continued
- Oppose the senseless slaughter of cormorants 2019-01-03
- Stop Bill 66: Privileging big business over the people of Ontario 2018-12-14
- We the people are for the environment 2018-16-11
- Caribou can’t survive without a place to live 2018-01-10
- Help secure a historic investment for nature protection in Canada 2018-01-18
- Protect our water 2017-12-08
- Guide stronger protection for nature across the Greater Golden Horseshoe 2017-08-22
- Help at risk caribou persist in the Caribou Forest 2017-05-08
- Stand up for the Greenbelt and stop sprawl for good! 2017-03-20
Prothonotary warbler © Bill McDonald