City of Vaughan comments…

City of Vaughan comments below:
a. As directed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) staff, municipalities are responsible for informing proponents of their obligations under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Through the development review processes, we inform the applicants of their obligations under the ESA, but the City has we have no mechanism/and or authority to verify if they have met their obligations and have complied with ESA requirements. Given that municipalities have responsibility for natural heritage system planning under the Planning Act and PPS, City staff would like clarification from the Province regarding the municipal roles and responsibilities in the ESA permitting process. Do municipal staff need to be engaged in the permitting process with the proponents and the Ministry? For instance, if an applicant requires to remove mature trees and there are potential for endangered bat habitat, what is the City’s role? In cases where an overall net benefit is required, can the City work with applicants to encourage that net benefit is provided within the municipal boundaries where such options exist? How do we verify that they have mitigated for any potential impacts? Please note that there is uncertainty from municipal staff regarding accountability and enforcement of the ESA.
b. Please continue to keep me as the main contact for all ESA and Species at Risk matters at the City of Vaughan.