The Ontario government…

The Ontario government recently introduced the More Homes Built Faster 2022 Act (Bill 23) claiming that it will be a new solution to the housing crisis in Ontario. However, if this Bill is passed in its current form, it will have devastating impacts on Ontario's ecosystems. Wetlands are incredibly diverse landscapes with a wide variety of ecosystem functions that are biologically, hydrologically, and biogeochemically significant. Wetlands provide essential habitat to many terrestrial and aquatic species and aid in the cycling of nutrients and storage of carbon, which is critical to protect for climate change mitigation. Likewise, wetland systems aid in flood and drought attenuation, maximize groundwater recharge, and improve ecosystem resiliency against disturbances such as fire or drought. Regardless of the type or size of the wetland, each wetland plays an unique and essential role in our watersheds. However, the proposed updates to the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System has the potential to destroy most of Ontario's "Provincially Significant" wetlands- an action that is irreversible, even with proper restoration measures. This update will jeopardize the protections put in place by Conservation Authorities to conserve these critical ecosystems, thus transforming our watersheds into areas that lack both ecological and hydrological complexity. As a result, declines in biodiversity and increases in carbon release, flooding, and drought may become more common across the landscape. As a wetland hydrologist, I strongly urge you to not update the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System as it will drastically degrade Ontario's landscape. Instead, I encourage the Ontario government to discover new ways of improving Ontario's housing crisis without destroying Ontario's natural lands. Protecting all wetlands, regardless if they are labelled significant or not, is crucial for climate change mitigation, ecosystem resiliency, water resources management, and the wellbeing of our communities and future generations.