Since the late 1990's Earthroots has been a strong and vocal advocate for the creation of new protected areas and better legislation to preserve them.  Ontario now boasts one of the most extensive protected area networks in the world with more than 600 Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves.  In June 2006, Ontario’s legislature passed the new Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act which came into force, along with the new regulations, on September 4th, 2007.  This is a critical step, replacing a Parks Act that had not been revised since 1954.

Earthroots has played an active role throughout this process generating awareness through the media, organizing letter-writing campaigns, and making deputations at Queen’s Park before the Standing Committee. We have persistently lobbied the government to ensure that bringing the values of ecological integrity into the management of our provincial parks and protected areas was a promise that would not be broken.

Earthroots is encouraged and pleased that the provincial government has introduced an Act that makes ecological integrity the overriding principle for management decisions in our provincial parks and protected areas, and we congratulate them on taking this imperative and progressive step in introducing new legislation. However, there are components to this new Act that compromise the underlying objective of placing wildlife and habitat protection at the forefront of Ontario’s network of Parks and Conservation Reserves.

• The most important amendment in the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act is the definition of a Wilderness Class Park. After some debate this definition has been changed back to its original, more sustainable description: “The objective of wilderness class parks is to protect large areas where forces of nature can exist freely and visitors travel by non-mechanized means, except as may be permitted by regulation while engaging in low impact recreation to experience solitude, challenge and integration with nature.” This is a positive step in achieving a more sustainable set of values for our parks. Wilderness Class Parks are large expanses of crown land in Ontario and the fact that they are in remote locations makes the motorized access prohibition that much more of a significant step.

• The fact that the new legislation incorporates the value of “ecological integrity” as the overriding principle in park management decisions is encouraging. Ontarians should congratulate the government on moving ahead in the right direction. However, the fact that the definition of ecological integrity is open to interpretation poses a serious problem for the future. If ecological integrity means putting nature first, then there are many components found within the new legislation that inherently contradict this critical ideal of preserving wildlife and wildlife habitat, as well as the need to protect the rights of low-impact recreationalists, canoeists and hikers.

• Earthroots is disappointed by the fact that the recommendation to phase logging out of Algonquin Park was not addressed through this process. Logging, logging roads and aggregate pits are not prohibited in Algonquin Park. No matter how responsibly the government manages forestry operations, industrial logging has detrimental effects on the entire ecosystem and threatens the health and prosperity of wildlife. There are other examples to look at in the province - logging has successfully been phased out of three of Ontario’s parks: Quetico, Lake Superior and Woodland Buffalo. The cessation of logging practices in these areas point to the fact that this is a feasible, economically viable option. Currently, only 2% of the greater Algonquin region relies on logging as a source of employment (and this number is decreasing). This is a very small percentage in one region of a vast province to use as the rationale to log in over 70% of Ontario’s most visited park. It is clear that the real revenue lies in the potentially lucrative eco-tourism industry. Earthroots recommends a phase out of logging over a specified period of time.

• Logging and mining are not allowed in any of our protected areas. However, logging and mining roads can go through provincial parks and conservation reserves.

• Hydroelectric development may be considered for remote communities.

• Trapping will continue in protected areas and it is still legal to hunt and trap certain Species at Risk in some of our protected areas.

• Sport hunting is still permitted in the majority of our protected areas. This contradicts the inherent significance of an area being deemed protected if it does not place the preservation of wildlife in the highest regard. Less than 10% of the province is designated as a “protected area” leaving the majority of the province’s crown lands open to recreational hunting to go on. Asking for these areas to be set aside is not an unreasonable request. Approximately 3.5% of people in Ontario partake in sport hunting, which means that the Ministry of Natural Resources is permitting a small percentage of a large population to dictate park policy, and is consequently denying the interests and principles of the majority of people in Ontario. This is both unfair and unsustainable.

• Motorized access is still permitted in the majority of protected areas. While we are pleased that the definition of wilderness class parks has been altered to prohibit motorized access, the legislation falls short in minimizing the devastating environmental impact caused by ATV’s and snowmobiles. ATVs pose a serious threat to the natural behaviour and feeding patterns of wildlife species. For example, the sheer noise of revving engines can cause birds to flee during nesting season. The most evident impact of ATVs is wildlife fragmentation. Damage to vegetation, erosion, collapsed stream banks and widening trails are other problems that emerge when the landscape sees an abundance of ATV use. An ATV emits more pollution per mile than the average car. The government can still take a strong stand on this issue and enforce a complete ban on motorized access in protected areas.

• Much needed buffer zones will not be implemented around our Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves through this Act. If protection ends at the perimeter, what is to prevent new roads from cutting into our parks and protected areas, inevitably creating easier access to our natural resources? The “greater park ecosystem” issue is one that we will persistently push the government to adequately address.

One of the first sections of the legislation contains the statement that Ontario Parks and Conservation Reserves, “are dedicated to people of Ontario for their inspiration, health, recreational enjoyment and benefit with the intention that these areas shall be managed to maintain their ecological integrity and to leave them unimpaired for future generations.” While this is a progressive concept, the government is currently falling short in their attempt to minimize human impact in our protected areas.

The fact that the Ministry of Natural Resources has suffered such significant funding cuts over the years makes environmental legislation that much more difficult to enforce. Please visit the online petition at www.saveontarioparks.ca to send a message to the government that adequate funding to the Ministry of Natural Resources must be restored.

Earthroots will continue to push for stronger legislation for our protected areas until the issues of access, buffer zones and sport hunting have been addressed.

Click here to download a PDF copy of Bill 11

For further information, please contact:
Josh Garfinkel at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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