Wetlands are critically…

Wetlands are critically important in helping to conserve and purify water for a healthy ecosystem, providing essential habitat for diverse species and ensuring that Ontario's natural heritage is protected for future generations. As such, I'm very concerned with any new legislation that would lead to the loss of wetlands for more costly urban development and urban sprawl.
I share the criticisms of the proposed updates to the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System that are being expressed by Conservation Authorities, leading conservation and environmental organizations and hydrologists.
The proposed changes will invariably lead to more wetlands being designated as not provincially significant, weakening the protection for these wetlands. I'm also worried about the proposed removal of wetland complexing. Currently, certain areas like bogs and marshes are considered as wetland complexes, which is consistent with sound watershed planning.
In contrast, unfortunately, the new legislation would evaluate individual small wetlands separately. There is a real danger that many of them would no longer qualify as protected wetlands. It is especially problematic in that the threshold for significance remains the same, so an individual wetland must attain the same score as the much larger wetland complex to remain significant. That will be almost impossible, considering that the score for threatened and endangered species will be eliminated.
I'm also disappointed and surprised with a proposal that the Province evidently won't have a role in reviewing or approving wetland evaluations. In fact, the Province will no longer keep wetland evaluation files or maintain significant wetland mapping. Nor will it provide information for use in wetland evaluations. This isn't any time for the Province to shirk its responsibilities for environmental leadership!
The proposed changes appear to delegate all wetland evaluation to local planning authorities such as municipalities. This is the wrong way to go for two reasons: first, the municipalities are not being given the authority to review and approve wetland evaluations; second, municipalities certainly may not have the technical capacity or capabilities to take on the task.
In another misguided concept, the wetland evaluator would only be accountable for the objectivity and accuracy of the wetland evaluation to the person paying for it. That is definitely a non-starter in my view.
Finally, I disagree with any changes that would result in the Province removing protections for provincially significant wetlands from the Provincial Policy Statement, in favour of some sort of wetland "offsetting" policy which is a highly controversial approach more often than not.
There is little doubt that if the changes are implemented, Ontario will be left with a fragmented and piecemeal approach to wetland assessment, with an inevitable further loss of wetlands.
I urge the Province to listen to the concerns being expressed by Conservation Authorities and many others. Please reconsider these ill-advised proposals, which should not be fast-tracked. At the very least, I urge the Province to pause these proposals to allow time for much more detailed analysis and informed discussion.
Thank you.