Amendment to Ontario Regulation 316/07 under the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006 to expand the boundary of Charleston Lake Provincial Park

Ontario is taking steps to protect natural areas and provide more opportunities to get outside and enjoy the outdoors.

To support this commitment, we are proposing to expand Charleston Lake Provincial Park, a 2,881-hectare (7,119-acre) adventure class park. This expansion would grow the long-term protection of biodiversity and important habitats within the region, while providing opportunities for visitors to enjoy the area’s natural beauty.

The proposed addition is approximately 920 hectares (2,273 acres) of land previously acquired by Ontario located directly east of Charleston Lake Provincial Park, seven kilometres south of Athens (see Map 1). The area includes portions of the provincially significant Leeder’s Creek Wetland complex and the Blue Mountain Area of Natural and Scientific Interest, and it lies within the Frontenac Axis and the UNESCO-designated Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve.

On December 11, 2025, private member’s Bill 26 created a new adventure class of provincial parks under the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006 (PPCRA) and reclassified Charleston Lake Provincial Park. The objective of adventure class parks is to provide opportunities for outdoor recreation that may or may not require alterations to the natural environment (for example, rock climbing, tree-top trekking, mountain biking, and driving motorized snow or off-road vehicles). If added to the park, the proposed addition would also be adventure class.

For more information on park classifications and their objectives see section 8 of the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006.

Proposed changes to PPCRA regulations

In order to expand Charleston Lake Provincial Park, we are proposing to amend O. Reg. 316/07: Designation and Classification of Provincial Parks under the PPCRA. This amendment would update “Column 2: Land Set Aside” in “Table 1: Provincial Parks of Ontario” of the regulation to include:

• the provincial park’s size
• the description of the park’s boundaries (including the proposed new area)

If the proposed addition is regulated as part of Charleston Lake Provincial Park, this would not prohibit Indigenous communities from exercising their Aboriginal and treaty rights. Indigenous communities could still exercise these rights in the provincial park subject to safety and conservation concerns.

Some commercial uses would be restricted in these areas. Industrial activities such as aggregate extraction, prospecting/mining, and commercial timber harvest are also prohibited by the PPCRA.

The proposed addition includes sections of unopened road allowances. If the proposed addition is regulated, the unopened road allowances would become part of Charleston Lake Provincial Park.

There are municipally owned unmaintained access routes that intersect the proposed addition (refer to Map 1). These routes will not become part of park if the proposed addition is regulated as part of Charleston Lake Provincial Park. Ontario Parks may consult with the local municipalities to explore options (e.g., potential acquisition) for these access routes in the future.

Proposed site-specific policy to address existing trail uses

Existing trail uses within the site include hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and biking as well as all-terrain vehicle (ATV) and snowmobile travel. Existing trails, based on current information, are shown on Map 2.

We are proposing a site-specific policy, through an amendment to the Charleston Lake Provincial Park management plan, which would allow authorized existing trail uses to continue where they currently take place in the proposed addition, if the land becomes regulated as provincial park.

If the proposed addition is regulated as part of the park, authorization of ATV and snowmobile travel in provincial parks would be undertaken in accordance with the PPCRA.

The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks is seeking comments on this site-specific policy proposal. A separate opportunity for comment will not be provided.

Proposed regulation change to continue to allow hunting

It is concurrently being proposed that hunting on the lands proposed for addition to the park will continue to be permitted under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997 (FWCA) if regulated as provincial park.

Under the PPCRA, hunting is not permitted in a provincial park unless it is allowed by regulation made under the FWCA.

Hunting is currently permitted in portions of Charleston Lake Provincial Park that are adjacent to the proposed addition, as set out in clause 110(b) of O. Reg. 665/98 of the FWCA. The hunting of game mammals (but not furbearing mammals), migratory game birds or game birds may occur beginning the first day of the open season for that mammal or bird or from September 15 in any year, whichever occurs later, until the last day of the open season for that mammal or bird.

Hunting is also currently permitted in the proposed addition. The proposal is to continue to allow hunting if the lands are added to the provincial park.

To continue allowing hunting in the proposed addition if it is added to the park, Ontario is proposing a corresponding amendment to O. Reg. 663/98: Area Descriptions under the FWCA. These changes would be concurrent with regulation changes to O. Reg. 316/07: Designation and Classification of Provincial Parks under the PPCRA to expand the park.

The FWCA is administered by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR). MNR and the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks are seeking comments on the FWCA regulatory proposal as part of this ERO proposal notice posting. A separate opportunity for comment will not be provided.

Regulatory Impact Analysis

The ministry does not anticipate any new costs to regulated entities resulting from the regulation of these new lands under the PPCRA and enabling hunting under the FWCA. We welcome feedback on any potential site-specific impacts. The proposal offers significant benefits to the general public. It will permanently protect sensitive habitats and allow sustainable recreation to continue.

Given that there are no other ways to establish a provincial park boundary, amending O. Reg. 316/07 is the only option.

Other opportunities for public consultation

The ministry will be contacting Indigenous communities and contacts on the project mailing list, including provincial and regional stakeholders, to advise them of the proposal.

Should the proposed addition be regulated as part of the park, a future amendment to the park’s management plan would be undertaken to address zoning and other site-specific uses in the proposed addition. This would include Indigenous community, stakeholder and public consultation.

If you are interested in having your contact information added to the direct notification list for this project, please contact us at planning.sez@ontario.ca