Proposed regulatory amendments under the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006 to expand Ontario's protected areas network ​(Summer 2026)​

Ontario is advancing the protection of green spaces across the province. This will help support tourism and local businesses, provide places for outdoor activities, and protect nature and wildlife. These efforts will help make sure Ontario’s natural areas can be enjoyed by future generations, while balancing economic growth with environmental protection.

Through the regulation of new areas under the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006 (PPCRA), Ontario is proposing to create five new protected areas and add more land to 12 existing provincial parks and conservation reserves. This would expand the province’s protected areas by approximately 2,300 hectares (ha) or 5,800 acres (ac).

Our proposal

Expanding protected areas - Ontario is proposing to expand the protected areas system under the PPCRA by creating five new protected areas and adding land to 12 existing protected areas, expanding Ontario’s protected areas system by approximately 2,300 ha (5,800 ac). This includes lands previously acquired by the Crown from third parties, often with the intention of being regulated as new protected areas. See below for the details.

Ontario is also proposing amendments to deregulate portions of five protected areas covering a total of about 16 ha:

• Deregulations to support Ministry of Transportation of Ontario highway improvements - We are proposing to change the boundary of Lake Superior Provincial Park to remove 5.25 ha (13 ac) of land for culvert rehabilitation, the removal of rock fall hazards and to clear trees along Highway 17 to improve safety.
• In addition, 5.25 ha (13 ac) would be removed from the southern edge of Rainbow Falls Provincial Park to support the realignment of Highway 17, improving traffic flow and safety. It is anticipated that once the highway realignment is complete, the existing highway corridor that cuts through Rainbow Falls Provincial Park would be closed. The land would then be restored for future addition to Rainbow Falls Provincial Park. It would include a new parking lot, access road and hiking trail.
• These proposed removals represent a small portion of Ontario’s overall protected areas network. They are being considered to support important highway safety improvements along a critical transportation corridor.

Highway 17 is a key part of the Trans-Canada network, supporting supply chains, economic growth and access to jobs and services across the North. As part of its plan to protect Ontario, the government is continuing to invest in critical and safe highway infrastructure. Northern Ontario has unique transportation needs, including long distances between communities, challenging winter driving conditions and difficult terrain.

• Deregulations to correct mapping errors - These proposed amendments would correct longstanding mapping errors by removing small portions of land that were inadvertently regulated within conservation reserve boundaries despite being privately owned.
  This includes deregulating 0.26 ha from McLaren Forest Conservation Reserve (along the eastern edge of Highway 11), 0.1 ha from the northern edge of Glen N. Crombie Conservation Reserve, and 5.3 ha from Wainfleet Bog Conservation Reserve where the conservation reserves inadvertently overlap private property.

Ontario Parks does not actively manage these areas as conservation reserve lands.

Additionally, the ministry is proposing to redesignate McCrae Lake Conservation Reserve from a conservation reserve to a natural environment class provincial park. This change would improve park management capacity to address increased visitation, and growing pressures on resources and facilities within the protected area.

The proposed sites in this proposal are organized into geographic regions based on the five Ontario Parks Administrative Zones and are listed below to support this review and facilitate public feedback. Please refer to the Map of Ontario Parks Zones to better understand the location of the proposed sites across Ontario.

The Ontario Parks Administrative Zones are:

• Algonquin Zone (ALZ)
• Northeast Zone (NEZ)
• Northwest Zone (NWZ)
• Southeast Zone (SEZ)
• Southwest Zone (SWZ)

We have also provided a supplemental document containing site-specific information, including maps, recreational opportunities, natural heritage features and details regarding any proposed hunting permissions.

We are inviting feedback on all proposed sites and amendments. Comments may be site-specific or general and will help inform decisions about the future regulation of these lands under the PPCRA. When commenting on this proposal, please identify the site or sites, if any, that your comments relate to.

Algonquin Zone (ALZ)

Sites proposed as additions to provincial parks:

1. McCrae Lake Conservation Reserve Addition (101 ha) + reclassification from conservation reserve to natural environment class park

Northeast Zone (NEZ)

Sites proposed as additions to provincial parks:

2. French River Provincial Park (15 ha)

Sites proposed as additions to conservation reserves:

3. Manitou Mountain Conservation Reserve Addition (825 ha)

Sites proposed as deregulations:

4. Glenn N. Crombie Conservation Reserve (-0.1 ha)
5. McLaren Forest Conservation Reserve (-0.26 ha)

Northwest Zone (NWZ)

Sites proposed as additions to provincial parks:

6. Quetico Provincial Park Addition (16 ha)

Sites proposed as deregulations:

7. Lake Superior Provincial Park (-5.25 ha)
8. Rainbow Falls Provincial Park (-5.25 ha)

Southeast Zone (SEZ)

Sites proposed as new provincial parks:

9. Groveton Bog Provincial Park (419 ha)
10. Merrickville Bog Provincial Park (316 ha)
11. Ouse River East Provincial Park (47 ha)

Sites proposed as new conservation reserves:

12. Oxford Mills Conservation Reserve (74 ha)

Sites proposed as additions to provincial parks:

13. Bon Echo Provincial Park Addition (1 ha)
14. Egan Chutes Provincial Park Addition (7 ha)
15. Indian Point Provincial Park Addition (68 ha)
16. Sibbald Point Provincial Park Addition (5 ha)

Southwest Zone (SWZ)

Sites proposed as new conservation reserves:

17. Kimberley Forest Conservation Reserve (303 ha)

Sites proposed as additions to provincial parks:&

18. Bayview Escarpment Provincial Park Addition (8 ha)
19. Hockley Valley Provincial Park Addition (7 ha)
20. Ojibway Prairie Provincial Park (126 ha)

Sites proposed as additions to conservation reserves:

21. Wainfleet Bog Conservation Reserve Addition (7 ha addition, -5.3 ha deregulation)

Proposed changes to PPCRA regulations

In order to amend the boundaries of provincial parks, we are proposing to amend O. Reg. 316/07: Designation and Classification of Provincial Parks under the PPCRA for the provincial parks noted in this proposal.

Amendments would update “Column 2: Land Set Aside” in “Table 1: Provincial Parks of Ontario” of the regulation to include the description of the park’s boundaries (including the proposed new area).

In order to amend the boundaries of conservation reserves, we are proposing to amend O. Reg. 315/07: Designation of Conservation Reserves under the PPCRA for the conservation reserves noted in this proposal. The amendment will update the existing schedule that will:

• list the conservation reserve’s name
• describe the conservation reserve’s boundaries (including the proposed new area)

It is expected that common recreational activities, such as fishing and hiking, currently taking place on the parcels proposed as provincial parks or conservation reserves would be permitted to continue should a proposed site be regulated under the PPCRA. Any changes to existing park management direction would be considered through a separate park management planning process that would include public and Indigenous consultation.

Existing small-scale commercial uses may be able to continue. Industrial activities prohibited under the PPCRA such as aggregate extraction, prospecting/mining and commercial timber harvest would be restricted. These activities are already restricted on certain sites in this proposal that are identified in the Crown Land Use Planning Atlas as recommended protected areas.

If the proposed sites are regulated as provincial parks or conservation reserves, this would not prohibit Indigenous communities from exercising their Aboriginal and treaty rights on these lands. Indigenous communities could still exercise these rights in the provincial parks or conservation reserves, subject to applicable safety and conservation considerations.

Please see the ERO supplemental document for more information about each site.

Proposed changes to regulate hunting

Under the PPCRA, hunting is permitted in conservation reserves and is not permitted in provincial parks unless it is specifically authorized by a regulation under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997 (FWCA). Hunting would continue to be allowed in all sites proposed as conservation reserves, consistent with the rules for the surrounding wildlife management unit and in accordance with the PPCRA and FWCA.

Hunting is proposed to be allowed in Ouse River Provincial Park – a new provincial park, and four sites proposed as additions to provincial parks:

• McCrae Lake Provincial Park and Addition
• Egan Chutes Provincial Park Addition
• French River Provincial Park Addition
• Indian Point Provincial Park Addition

McCrae Lake Conservation Reserve is proposed to be redesignated as a provincial park, and hunting is proposed to be allowed in both the current protected area and the proposed addition.

Hunting currently occurs on most of the lands proposed for park addition where hunting is being proposed to continue. It is proposed that hunting would continue to be permitted in these areas consistent with the requirements in clause 110(b) of O. Reg. 665/98: Hunting made under the FWCA. This would allow the hunting of game mammals (but not furbearing mammals), migratory game birds, and game birds from the later of September 15 or the first day of the open season for that species until the last day of the open season. Site specific hunting proposals can be found in the supplemental document.

Hunting is not proposed to be allowed in eight sites proposed as new provincial parks or additions to existing provincial parks. Generally, these restrictions are intended to promote public safety in high-traffic areas and sites that are adjacent to roadways, trails, campgrounds, and/or other developments. In some cases the restrictions are also proposed to align with existing park management policies where hunting is restricted.

Hunting is not proposed to be allowed in the following sites:

• Bayview Escarpment Provincial Park Addition
• Bon Echo Provincial Park Addition
• Groveton Bog Provincial Park
• Hockley Valley Provincial Park Addition
• Merrickville Bog Provincial Park
• Ojibway Prairie Provincial Park Addition
• Quetico Provincial Park Addition
• Sibbald Point Provincial Park Addition

Should the proposals to regulate a site as a provincial park under the PPCRA proceed where hunting is proposed to be allowed, corresponding amendments would also be made to O. Reg. 663/98: Area Descriptions of the FWCA, to enable hunting in the areas described in this proposal, concurrent with the proposed changes to O.Reg. 316/07: Designation and Classification of Provincial Parks under the PPCRA. MNR and MECP are seeking comments on the FWCA regulatory proposals as part of this ERO proposal notice posting. A separate opportunity for comment will not be provided.

Ontario’s Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves

The PPCRA is the legislation through which Ontario regulates protected areas, as either provincial parks or conservation reserves. The purpose of the PPCRA is to permanently protect a system of provincial parks and conservation reserves that represents all of Ontario’s natural regions, protects provincially significant elements of Ontario’s natural and cultural heritage, maintains biodiversity, and provides opportunities for compatible, ecologically sustainable recreation.

Ontario has over 344 provincial parks that protect approximately 8.3 million ha (approximately 20 million ac) and 306 conservation reserves that comprise 1.5 million ha (almost 4 million ac) regulated under the PPCRA. In total, the PPCRA protects over 9.8 million ha (over 24 million ac) of land and water across the province.

Provincial parks are also assigned a classification under the PPCRA (for example, recreational parks or waterway parks). The park classification system provides a structured approach for how parks are designed, planned and managed. Each class of park contributes differently to Ontario’s protected area system. The objectives of all park classifications can be found in Section 8 of the PPCRA.

Provincial parks may be classified as operating or non-operating. Operating parks provide a range of services and amenities, such as campgrounds, roofed accommodations, washrooms, and discovery programs and charge user fees. In non-operating parks, facilities and services are limited or not provided. There are no fees associated with the use of non-operating parks.

In addition to provincial parks, the PPCRA also sets out objectives for the establishment and management of conservation reserves. These protected areas conserve sensitive and important ecosystems, provide opportunities for environmentally responsible recreation activities (e.g., fishing, hunting and trapping), and allow for research to take place.

Generally, there are no facilities or services provided within conservation reserves and no associated fees for the usage of these protected areas.

Regulatory Impact Analysis

The ministry does not anticipate that the proposed amendments will result in any new costs to regulated entities and welcomes feedback on any potential site-specific impacts. The proposal would provide benefits to the public, including the increase of environmentally sustainable recreation opportunities, and the protection of sensitive habitats and ecosystem services.

As there are no other ways to establish a provincial park or conservation reserve boundary, amending O. Reg. 315/07 or O. Reg. 316/07 is the only option.

Other Opportunities for Consultation

The ministry will contact Indigenous communities, provincial and regional stakeholders, and local communities directly to advise them of this proposal.

If you would like to be added to the direct notification list for this proposal, please contact us at Protected.Areas@Ontario.ca.