Currently, impacts from increasingly severe weather, pollution, water quality, wildfires, flooding, sprawl, disturbance and litter from infrastructure and commercial construction, traffic, stress, biodiversity decline, loss of access to nature, habitat and ecosystem loss are at the top-of-mind for many Ontarians concerned about the environment.
Environmental health and the integrity of natural systems have been undermined and figuratively under attack by the provincial government itself as well as also to the degree the government is influenced by corporate or wealthy third parties, or at least I myself think it seems so and is probably clear to many other people.
In 2012, Bill 55 proposed changes to significantly weaken the Endangered Species Act. In 2020, Ontario’s government enabled Ministers Zoning Orders which allows ministers to zone land for particular purposes without notice or public consult.
Though the premier promised not to, there is extensive commercial and residential sprawl in Ontario’s Greenbelt. The omnibus Bill 23 in 2022 changed legislation to expedite commercial infrastructure and residential development and began to chip away at the Conservation Authorities Act by removing and weakening environmental protections and excluding the public from meaningful land use planning as well as removing lands from the Greenbelt for development.
Around 2023, the Government of Ontario revealed its plans for two new highways near the GTA, the Bradford Bypass near Lake Simcoe and Highway 413 that would link Milton to Vaughn but raze sensitive watersheds ecological corridors for species at risk, destroy farmland and significantly contribute to sprawl and emissions with environmental impacts made worse for future and current generations.
As well as with the government acting to build a highway into the sensitive permafrost region, that is crucial for locking in greenhouse emissions and keeping our winters cold and frozen. The government wants to allow increased vehicular, and industrial mining activities and further sprawl, human impact, emissions, contaminants and natural system disturbance at least as suggested in and around the Ring of Fire (northern Ring of Fire link).
Additionally detrimentally coupled by 2025’s Bill 5 that creates Special Economic Zones where developers and resource companies are exempt from provincial regulations.
The 2025 establishment of the Ontario Conservations Authority will replace Ontario’s 36 Conservation Authorities, with a provincially-controlled 7. Conservation Ontario, represents Ontario’s 36 Conservation Authorities, which were legislated under the Conservation Authorities Act, 1946.
Ontario’s wetlands and vital natural systems are also negligently, unaccountably and perilously at risk.
Despite more than 50 years of environmental advocacy, advice for the governments and corporations to meaningfully protect the environment has too often perhaps been regarded and dismissed, cost-ineffective or not worth strategically planning towards. Whereas, the financial benefits of intact healthy and flourishing natural systems far exceed the costs of disasters such as floods, fires, contamination, water shortages and ice storms on communities.
People have improved physical and mental health, connection to community, inspiration, increased happiness and increased productivity with access to nature as well as the significance and merits of intact natural systems.
I believe, therefore, that it is undoubtedly worth helping and investing in nature.
Whether you protect a woodlot, a wetland, a field, a stream, part of a garden, moss around a tree, or pick up litter, or by donating to or supporting conservation organizations you can play a role in helping to protect nature. Nature needs your help.
