I am concerned about the…

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

If this transfer goes through, I would like to see the town prioritize plover conservation. The province can support this by including conditions or commitments that help support Piping Plover conservation and habitat protection in the land transfer conditions. Ideally, a science-based management plan should be created to ensure that Piping Plovers nesting at Wasaga Beach are still a conservation success story now and in future years. This plan should:
- Reduce 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.
- Commit funding to protect, conserve, and steward Piping Plovers, their nests, and their habitats.
- Engage experts like Birds Canada at development and implementation phases.