The proposed changes to the…

The proposed changes to the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System undermine the purpose of this policy in a number of key ways that must be addressed. MNRF oversight should not be removed from the OWES process so that there is sufficient expertise as part of the evaluation process. Moving the OWES process to municipalities will further undermine the process, as many do not have the appropriate resources or expertise. If the coordination of OWES must be moved away from MNRF, then it could be moved under the jurisdiction of Conservation Authorities to streamline the process and better support watershed management.

The proposal to remove counting threatened and endangered species in the OWES 'Special Features' category should be removed. We are experiencing a biodiversity crisis, and wetlands provide habitat for hundreds of species at risk in Ontario. This should be counted in their OWES score. The proposal to remove wetland complexing should also be removed to allow interconnected wetlands to be evaluated together based on the best science. Finally, the proposal to re-evaluate currently designed provincially significant wetlands should be removed - current PSW should not be re-evaluated, especially under these more lax OWES standards.