Proposed Updates to the…

Proposed Updates to the Ontario Wetland Evaluation (ERO# 019-6160):
It is the firm opinion of NSERA (North Shore Water & Environmental Resource Advocates Inc.) that the proposed updates to the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System will pose significant threats to ecosystems, farmland, surface water and groundwater.
Wetlands provide numerous critical benefits, particularly as we face the threats of climate change and biodiversity loss. They are productive ecosystems that provide refuges and movement corridors for numerous plants and animals,and are habitat for 20% of Ontario’s Species at Risk. Wetlands protect and purify water, control erosion, help prevent flooding, and maintain surface water flow during dry periods. They are popular places for recreational activities, which are key to maintaining both physical and mental health. They are a draw for nature tourism. This translates into employment,and helps support communities in rural and remote areas. Wetlands are one of the best free ways of trapping carbon and locking it into the soil; and the potential for wild foods and medicines should not be under-valued.
According to mapping by Ducks Unlimited, the province has lost between 50 and 90% of historic wetland habitat; to date, Southern Ontario has lost over 70% of its wetlands. In 1983, the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System (OWES) was put into place in an effort to protect rapidly disappearing wetlands from development and, in turn, helped increase awareness of their importance. It was a system that was put into place for a reason!
Filling in wetlands is short-sighted and irresponsible. Due to their very nature, they do not easily support development. Filling in a wetland will permanently alter the hydrology that runs below ground. The cumulative impacts of permanent loss of habitat and changes to the behaviour of water in the watershed will result in flooding and drought damage, nutrient runoff, pollution, shoreline erosion, etc.

The proposed changes to OWES, summarized in ERO #019-6160, will mean the following:
1. Removing the consideration of species-at-risk. (This makes no sense at all! We are in a bio-diversity crisis!)
2. No longer recognizing wetland complexes. ( Many wetlands are interconnected, and their functions contribute to the health of the whole.)
3. Eliminating provincial oversight. (So, consultation with MNRF will no longer occur and they will have no authority. Conservation Authorities will have been silenced. Approval authority will be handed to municipalities with little or no expertise, or a wetland evaluator hired by a proponent who stands to benefit will be responsible for evaluation of a development.)

If these proposed changes are adopted, before long, all of Ontario’s wetlands will have disappeared for the benefit of developers. Wetlands have enormous value and should be protected! Science-based information is needed to protect the environment. Politicians need to be made aware of the economic benefits of wetlands, and what the consequences of continued wetland destruction will mean. Or, do they know and simply not care?

Rhonda Kirby for NSERA (North Shore Environmental Resource Advocates Inc.)