Thank you for the…

Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
Muskoka Conservancy is a local nature conservation land trust based in Bracebridge, Ontario, and servicing approximately 4,400 square kilometers in Muskoka, and parts of Simcoe and West Parry Sound. We are a registered charity that must first raise every dollar before we spend it.
MC would like to express our concern regarding The Ontario Government’s proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act, 2007 and proposal for the Species Conservation Act, 2025, as we believe the changes may have a serious impact on all Ontario land trusts, including ours.
In response, Muskoka Conservancy generally endorses the recommendations of The Ontario Land Trust Alliance (OLTA)--our provincial association. Of those recommendations, Muskoka Conservancy would specifically like to highlight the potential impact on The Conservation Land Tax Incentive Program (CLTIP), an essential program for land trusts providing tax relief to conservation organizations focused on private stewardship of provincially important natural areas.
Removing listed species at risk, and consideration of reproductive habitat and migration, feeding or hibernation habitat for an endangered or threatened species could result in changes to lands that are currently identified as eligible under CLTIP.
This will likely result in smaller areas of land trust lands being eligible for CLTIP, and increased property taxes for land conservation charities, which could cripple these local community organizations.
Muskoka Conservancy supports the OLTA recommendation stating that changes to ESA should ensure that the ability of land trusts and other landowners to conserve lands covered by CLTIP and other similar programs and related policies are not negatively impacted.