Comments from Conservation…

ERO number

019-2986

Comment ID

57875

Commenting on behalf of

Individual

Comment status

Comment approved More about comment statuses

Comment

Comments from Conservation Ontario (June 2021) need to be incorporated in the proposed regulations.

- Recreation needs to be a mandatory activity. It is outrageous that the province wants to reduce accessibility to recreation and greenspace - especially the areas that are free to access. This is a key indicator of health and well-being for the people of Ontario. Conservation authorities are specifically identified as providers of greenspace and recreation providers in many provincial acts: Niagara Escarpment Plan - even the Growth Plan which was updated less than a year ago specifically identifies trails owned and managed conservation authorities. Removing recreation as a mandatory activity will reduce the quality of life for Ontario residents.

Nature-based and stewardship solutions with private landowners are also necessary. This is critical when we think of managing natural space in Ontario - what happens upstream impacts what happens downstream. And there are a lot of very rich private landowners. This is especially true when we consider the risk of flooding and erosion hazards.

I ask that you think of the long term implications for all of Ontario residents.