I am concerned that the…

I am concerned that the proposed land transfer will put Ontario’s Endangered Piping Plovers at even higher risk.

Piping Plover habitat in Wasaga Beach is protected and managed through regulations that apply within the provincial park boundaries. If these boundaries shift as the proposal outlines, the recent weakening of habitat protections under the Ontario Endangered Species Act with the passing of Bill 5 means this important Piping Plover habitat will be left with no provincial protection. Additionally, federal legislation doesn’t protect Piping Plover habitat in Ontario unless it’s on federal land.

I am concerned about the protection and management of important Piping Plover habitat at Wasaga Beach.

The Ontario Government must ensure that Piping Plovers are conserved and protected by a science-based management plan and resources that:

- Reduces threats to Piping Plover and their habitat year-round by restricting mechanical raking so that the habitat is not destroyed, prohibiting dune alteration, and protecting nests with fenced buffer zones and natural predator mitigations.

- Commits funding to protect, conserve, and steward Piping Plovers, their nests, and their habitats.

- Engages experts like Birds Canada at development and implementation phases.