Ministry Proposal to Add Additional Protected Areas

The Ministry has shared a proposal outlining a number of new protected areas across the province. The posting includes maps and details for 43 sites covering about 12,600 hectares that could become either provincial parks or conservation reserves under the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act.

These sites are spread across central, northeastern, and northwestern Ontario, as well as a few in the south near the Niagara Escarpment. Many of the northern sites were first identified years ago in the 1999 Ontario’s Living Legacy Land Use Strategy. Many of the proposed sites are additions to existing protected areas. Hunting will be permitted to continue in all of the 26 areas proposed for conservation reserve status and some of the 17 areas proposed for provincial park status.

We will continue to advocate to ensure that existing RBT activities are allowed to continue within these new protected areas. We encourage members to review the sites and to notify us if you have any concerns.