Public Consultation: Black Bear Harvest Management in Ontario

MNR is currently seeking feedback on proposed policy and regulatory changes to black bear management. The proposal has been posted to the ERO and will be open for public review and comment until January 5, 2026.

Summary of Proposed Changes:

1. Black Bear Population Objectives: Population objectives, described as ranges with defined upper and lower limits, will guide management decisions. Preliminary Population Objective Ranges (PORs) are proposed, based primarily on ecological data. We are seeking public input to help incorporate social, cultural, and economic considerations to refine the final objectives.
2. Harvest Management Guidelines: Final PORs will serve as benchmarks for assessing the status of black bear populations and guide harvest management decisions. New adaptive management tools are proposed (e.g., a resident draw to be used in areas of concern), alongside harvest sustainability indicators to support sustainable management. A defined allocation process will improve transparency and equitability in allocation between harvest sectors.
3. Regulatory Amendments: Proposed regulatory changes will extend protections for cubs and females with cubs into the fall and clarify the prohibition on the possession of bear bile to further promote long-term sustainable black bear management.

If the guidelines and final Population Objective Ranges are approved, the ministry has proposed a 5-year province-wide transition plan. During this transition period, harvest management decisions will not be applied based on the final Population Objective Ranges, except as a pilot on the Saugeen Bruce Peninsula, where unique concerns about the small, isolated population require immediate attention. The transition plan will allow the ministry to complete necessary preparations for implementation of the new guidance.

Click on the button below to read more and submit comments. You can also choose to answer the quick survey linked below to send feedback to MNR.

Public Consultations: Forestry-Related Proposals

MNR is currently reviewing their Landscape Guide and the Stand and Site Guide to ensure they reflect the best available evidence, such as:

• Results of applicable scientific investigations
• Results of monitoring programs
• Feedback from practitioners, Indigenous peoples, and stakeholders
• Advances in technology and changes to operational practices

For the Stand & Site Guide, the Ministry is proposing the following changes:

• Administrative
• Re-evaluated key uncertainties identified for guide effectiveness monitoring.
• Climate change
• Added a new climate change section covering climate change considerations at the stand and site scale (section 1.7).
• Wildlife habitat
• Changed wildlife tree direction including the retention of more super canopy trees and providing a maximum number of wildlife trees for the clearcut silviculture system.
• Revised direction for white-tailed deer and moose habitat management based on new science and knowledge.
• Changed bird nest site direction including changes to area of concern dimensions, nest classification, and new direction for trumpeter swan nest sites.
• Increased operational flexibility for use of existing roadbeds in some bird nest site and species at risk areas of concern.
• Water
• Revised classification of potential sensitivity of standing and flowing water features and permitting carefully implemented clearcut harvest to shore on some streams.
• Changed direction for Provincially Significant Wetlands.
• Added new direction to protect hydrological function in wetlands and areas of hydrological connection between terrestrial and aquatic systems.
• Incorporated new direction for high-risk self-sustaining lake and brook trout lakes and ponds.

For the Landscape Guide, the Ministry is proposing the following changes:

• Change to Landscape Guide Region to include the Spanish Forest in the Boreal Landscape Guide Regions and remove the Spanish forest from Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Landscape Guide Regions.
• Align timing of spatial assessments with recent changes in the Forest Management Planning Manual 2024.
• Clarify landscape guide application, for example where there is misalignment between the guide and science packages.
• Update references to policies and legislation.

At first glance, NOTO does not see any major areas of concern with the proposed changes. We will continue to reinforce the importance of protecting tourism values, good environmental stewardship, and the issues related to forestry access roads.

MNR Consultations – We strongly encourage operators to participate.

Ontario is proposing to modernize how public lands and natural resources are managed to make approval processes clearer and more efficient, while continuing to safeguard public health, safety, and sustainable management of natural resources. We highly recommend operators review the items listed and pay special attention to #3 – Public Lands Act proposals. Below, you will find a description of proposed initiatives under the Natural Resources Regulatory and Permit Reform:

1. Streamline Approvals under the Public Lands Act

• Amend regulations under the Public Lands Act, including Ontario Regulation 161/17 (O. Reg. 161/17) and Ontario Regulation 239/13 (O. Reg. 239/13), to allow for equipment for mobile wind testing, geotechnical and hydrogeological investigations, and environmental monitoring, and short-term bridges without the need for written site-specific ministry authorization if the conditions in the regulations are followed, including registration. Read more & Submit Comments: https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/025-1078

2. Changes to Forest Legislation, Regulations, Processes and Forest Management Policy

• Proposing changes to forest-related rules and permitting processes to make them more efficient, reduce unnecessary steps and support economic growth while continuing to manage Ontario’s forest responsibly and sustainably. Read more and submit comments: https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/025-1134

3. Unlocking Ontario’s Economic Potential

• Public Lands Act and Boat Caches are mentioned in the discussion paper in the ERO posting.
• Read more and submit comments: https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/025-1141
• Proposing changes to modernize the management of Ontario’s public lands, waters and other resources. The goal is to unlock economic development opportunities by streamlining statutory and regulatory processes, updating policies, improving service delivery, and enhancing transparency. This initiative focuses on several key areas, including:

1. Improving the management of public lands under the Public Lands Act by:

• • Updating Crown Land Use Policies and enabling online submissions for requests for policy amendments,
  • Streamlining Occupation of and Dispositions of Interests in Public Lands by improving application and review requirements, and moving certain low-risk occupations to a permit-by-rule, or code of practice, approach,
  • Streamlining Work Permits and Restricted Area Permits by improving application requirements and moving low-risk activities to a permit-by-rule or code of practice approach,
  • Improving compliance and enforcement tools,
  • Providing better access to information to show where public lands and certain uses of land are located, and
  • Improving application forms related to Conditions of Dispositions, Consents and Reservations.

2. Allowing proponents to conduct non-lethal collection of fish and wildlife for scientific purposes under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act.

3. Streamlining the way MNR approves dams and other in water works under the Lakes and Rivers Improvement Act

NOTO Staff will be attending meetings with Government to discuss these proposals in more details. We strongly encourage members to take the time to review these proposal and to share with us any questions, comments or concerns they may have. Consultation period for these proposals ends December 22nd.

The Northwest Region Boat Cache Program and boat caches provincially have been included in the ministry wide permit reform initiative. The proposal within the ERO posting that includes Both Caches is: Natural Resources Regulatory and Permit Reform Initiative: Unlocking Ontario’s Economic Potential | Environmental Registry of Ontario

• Scroll down to the bottom of the page to click on the PDF/discussion paper in the supporting materials section of the page.
• Information relating occupation and disposition of public lands including boat caches (commercial and non-commercial) can be found on Page 5.

We encourage all members to read the discussion paper.

NOTO has built a summary of the feedback collected by our members and have shared it with MNR staff ahead of this public consultation period. We will continue to reiterate operators’ concerns in this consultation period. We strongly encourage you all to do that same.