This proposal to transfer…

This proposal to transfer Beach Areas 1, 2, New Wasaga, Allenwood Beach, and Nancy Island out of the protection of the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006, and the Historical Parks Act, thrusts one of our most popular Provincial Parks into an uncertain future.

In particular, Beach 1, locally dubbed "Ploverland" is one of the best and last remaining nesting grounds of the federally endangered Piping Plover, which is also classed G3 vulnerable at risk globally under NatureServe. The Piping Plover had only recently made a comeback after being extirpated from Ontario for 30 years. Their habitat is very specific, vulnerable to disturbance and is also threatened by climate change. It would be very easy to lose these birds forever.

The Piping Plover is protected under the Migratory Species Act and federally as an endangered species. However, until recently the Ontario Endangered Species Act, now modified and soon to be repealed under Bill 5, was considered sufficient protection. Federal documents are notably slow to update, and bringing the Piping Plover under federal jurisdiction may take years that the species may not be able to afford.

In addition, the lands set to be remove from Provincial Parks protection include mature freshwater sand dunes which protect the town of Wasaga by providing a buffer from periodic flooding and waves. Any disturbance means the ecosystem will be lost, and the town will be at risk of floods and tidal waves which are becoming increasingly prevalent under climate change. Wasaga Provincial Park also represents the longest freshwater beach in the world.

Of concern to me is also that this proposal includes amendments to the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act and the Historical Parks Act. These amendments mean that in the future, large swatches of other Provincial Parks may be subject to this same removal of protections. These Parks, as a whole, provide untold trillions in ecosystem services each year, including but not limited to: cleaning our air and water, mitigating floods and heat waves, providing carbon sinks, preventing soil erosion and topsoil loss, enhancing tourism value both for locals and tourists, providing an array of mental and physical health benefits, etc.

It is also noteworthy that Canada has a goal of ensuring 30% of all its lands and waters are under some environmental protection by 2030, as a result of signing on to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework along with 195 other countries in 2022. Removing lands from protection is contrary to this promise.

In a recent EKOS study on national identity, 89% of Canadians identify nature as the key element of what it means to be Canadian. To honour this identity and the will of the 89% of us, we need to protect nature more, not less.

Thank you for your time.