We need bills that protect…

We need bills that protect our wetlands, not destroy them under the cloak of housing. When will governments start listening to the science of climate change, and create legislations that support a better future for all species on this planet? How about now.

Very quietly in the last month the Ontario PC government has come up with a bold plan that
puts the future of Ontario’s wetlands, climate change policy and environment at risk. The policy
is couched in language about “building more houses faster”, but eliminates much of the
protection conservation authorities were able to provide to Provincially Significant Wetlands
(PSW’s). It eliminates the protection of species at risk in wetlands that the Ontario Ministry of
Natural Resources and Forestry (OMNRF) provided.
“Wetlands are critical to water filtration, flood retention, erosion control, carbon
storage, nutrient cycling and groundwater recharge. They also provide habitat for
specialized wildlife communities. Over 20 percent of the province’s species at risk are
directly dependent on wetland habitats according to leading researchers and Ontario
Nature.” The government is passing legislation that puts wetlands at risk while
allowing developers to ride roughshod over protections for Provincially Significant
Wetlands(1).”
Some of the key changes that threaten Ontario’s Wetlands include:
 Wetland units that are part of a Provincially Significant Wetland (PSW) complex can be re-
evaluated individually. Those units can be removed from the PSW. This leaves it up to
consultants, hired by developers, to recommend if wetlands should lose protected status.
 Wetland boundaries can be remapped without having to re-evaluate the entire wetland.
 OMNRF is removed from the process, leaving all decisions in the hands of local municipalities
where there may be little or no wetland expertise.
 Conservation Authorities (CA’s) will be prohibited from being contracted by municipalities to
comment on Acts, including the Planning Act.  Therefore, the ability of conservation authorities
to provide natural heritage comments to the City on planning applications may now be
prohibited.
 Endangered and Threatened species will no longer contribute to scoring as a PSW.
 All Conservation Authorities (CA’s) must tell the government which lands they own that would
be suitable for housing. Are we going to cover The Cascades in housing or Mission Marsh
Conservation Area perhaps?
 No permits are needed if Planning Act authorization obtained, and new tools are proposed for
the government to force CA’s to issue permits whether or not development meets
environmental policies and environmental best practices. 
 Developers can carve pieces out of protected wetlands and flood other areas to
“compensate” the damage.