| The Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks launched a public consultation on a long expected multi-year effort to add a number of new areas to Ontario provincial parks and conservation reserves.
This proposal is focused on the expansion of existing Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves. Details on the proposed areas are available at the following web link Expanding Protected Areas in Ontario – Sites Proposed to be Regulated under the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006 | Environmental Registry of Ontario
Many of the proposed expansions in northeastern and northwestern Ontario are Crown land areas that were identified for protected area regulation through the 1997-1999 Ontario’s Living Legacy Land Use Strategy process, which NOTO and its members were actively involved. Some of the proposed expansions in southern Ontario are associated with smaller parcels of private lands that Ontario Parks took over the past two decades, often to assist local conservations or parks operations.
Common recreational activities, including fishing, hunting and hiking, that are currently taking place on some or all of these parcels being proposed as a provincial park or conservation reserve are anticipated to be able to continue should a proposed site move forward. Any changes to existing park management direction would need to be considered through a separate park management planning process which would involve further public consultation.
NOTO staff are actively reviewing these new protected area expansions to ensure the continued protection of NOTO member and broader resource-based tourism sector interests.
If any NOTO members receive correspondence from MECP on any of the specific protected area expansion proposals or if NOTO members have any concerns in general, please do not hesitate to contact our office to assist us in our review. At this time, it does not appear that RBT sector interests in these areas are threatened by the proposed expansions, but we continue to be diligent.
To view more information and to submit comments to the proposed expansions, please click on the button below. Consultation closes August 30th. |
