A massive proposed development in Fraserville, Peterborough County, has exposed a dangerous loophole in the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (ORMCP); it appears that developments outside of the Moraine’s boundaries can by-pass protection and pipe water from within protected areas of the Moraine to service their water needs.  The Fraserville development would involve an expansion to the OLG Slots Casino at Kawartha Downs, 684 residential units, a new golf course with club house and additional residential units, an entertainment complex, hotel, recreation centre, community centre, big box stores, auto-dealerships, and the list goes on.

An area in Northern Ontario, located in the James Bay Lowlands, has been the centre of media attention and public scrutiny because of the thousands of mining claims that have been staked in the area.  The "Ring of Fire" is found within the pristine wilderness of Ontario’s currently industry-free Far North.  The area, surrounded by muskeg wetland that comprises one of the largest wetlands in the world, drains half of Canada’s largest rivers and is a massive store-house of carbon dioxide, while providing habitat to a variety of wildlife species.

Despite recent changes to Ontario’s Mining Act and the newly developed Far North Protection Act, both of which require extensive public consultation before development can occur, Earthroots is alarmed that the mining industry may be circumventing these laws.  Fears abound that the McGuinty government is viewing the Ring of Fire as a panacea to our economic woes, since the area boasts mineral potential that rivals those found in Sudbury.

Earthroots congratulates the Ontario provincial government on increasing the amount of protection afforded to Algonquin Park, Canada’s oldest and most visited provincial park.  On November 2nd, 2009 the government increased the level of protection in the park by more than 50%.  Currently logging is illegal in all of Ontario’s 631 protected areas with the exception of Algonquin and for several years, Earthroots has been calling for a ban on logging in the Park.  By increasing the total area that is off limits to logging within Algonquin, the Ministry of Natural Resources is showing their commitment to preserving cultural values and is taking a necessary step towards creating more stringent measures to preserve some of the most popular canoe routes in all of Ontario.

For immediate release: Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Today at Queen's Park, Ontario's Environmental Commissioner (ECO) released his annual 2008-2009 report, "Building Resilience." The report is a critical assessment of the Provincial Government's management of our natural resources, highlighting shortcomings for a diverse spectrum of environmental policy issues.  As Ontario's outspoken, non-partisan environmental watchdog, Gord Miller makes a series of urgent suggestions regarding the provincial government's management of our aggregate resources, biofibre, and the overall response to the biodiversity crisis currently unfolding in our province.

The Report delineates the mass extinction taking place on a global level, and highlights Ontario as an example of a biologically rich and vast region at a crossroads.  The initial momentum of Ontairo's Biodiversity Strategy, introduced nearly five years ago has quickly died down as "serious shortcomings of the strategy have gone largely unaddressed."  The Commissioner also underlined the Environmental Communities' frustration with the ambiguity of the Strategy by highlighting that it does not outline respective responsibilities of Ontario's ministries, or set out timelines to accomplish measurable targets.  "Ontario has more species at risk than any other province," notes former Biodiversity Council member and Earthroots campaigner Josh Garfinkel.  "We are at a critical juncture where our provincial government can become leaders in conservation, but they must first revise the Biodiversity Strategy."

(Obabika Lake, Temagami).  Today a group of 80 people, standing in solidarity for the permanent protection of Temagami's ancient pine forests, gathered in the wilderness to celebrate the fall equinox.  The annual event was hosted by First Nations Elder Alex Mathias on his family's traditional land and included a ceremony, a group meal and guided hikes on the old-growth trails.

"The Changing of the Seasons ceremony is about giving thanks for everything the Earth provides.  Every year I invite others to join me in recognizing the importance of our ties to the land", explains Mathias.  "The ceremonial site is located in a very special place, one of the last stands of ancient red and white pine", Mathias adds.

Temagami is home to half of the world's remaining stands of endangered ancient red and white pine forests, and contains 4,700 kilometers of First Nations canoe routes and trails that have been used in the region for thousands of years.

Groups Enraged over MOE Approval of Logging Plan

(Toronto).  Ontario's Ministry of Environment (MOE) has failed to modify a 10 year logging plan for Temagami, despite numerous concerns raised by four different environmental and recreational groups about the damaging effects of the plan.  Environmental groups from across the province had hoped the MOE would extend an olive branch to the area's forests and ecotourism operators by requiring amendments to the forest management plan.

"The MOE's decision gives carte blanche for the current approach to logging in Temagami, one that prioritizes harvest volume over sustainability," said Mark Kear, Forest Campaigner for Earthroots.  "The Ministry of Environment's decision does nothing to alleviate the tension between conservationists, tourism operators and logging companies, but only exacerbates it."

Alarm has been growing amongst Ontario environmental groups about the erosion of the public's ability to affect forest policy.  Over the past year the Ministry of Natural Resources has made sweeping changes to Ontario's forestry rules in order streamline the planning process.  Such streamlining efforts are increasingly leaving the public out of the loop, making the MOE's oversight role more important than ever before.  

Public interest organizations say Ontario is treating the people of the Grassy Narrows First Nation as second-class citizens with second-class rights. Grassy Narrows is the site of a seven-year-old blockade against forestry practices that community members say threaten their culture and survival. In May 2008, the community and the province entered into talks over long-term management of the forests in the traditional territory of Grassy Narrows.

There are growing concerns, however, that the province may have already made up its mind to continue large-scale clear-cut logging in the territory, regardless of the consequences for the community. Even while talks are continuing, the provincial Ministry of Natural Resources has brought forward a new logging plan that includes provisions forpotential resumption of large-scale clear cutting on the disputed lands.

In a public statement issued today, 21 organizations concerned with Indigenous peoples’ rights, social justice and environmental protection strongly criticized the government of Ontario for failing to make the rights of the people of Grassy Narrows their first priority.

We need you to speak out against a controversial quarry that could threaten vital habitat, wildlife species and groundwater!  The deadline for comments is this Thursday, July 23rd.

A proposed granite quarry, if approved, will operate just outside of the boundary of Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Park, Ontario's second largest park south of Algonquin.  This park is one of the most diverse and least disturbed natural areas found in Central Ontario, containing more than 50 landform vegetation patterns.

Giofam Investments Inc. is proposing to mine 200,000 tonnes of granite annually, and will require a “Permit to Take Water of 8.1 million litres/day”.  The impact that this industrial activity will have on wildlife corridors will be devastating, and this tremendous water taking will have severe consequences on both water quality and quantity in the region.

Our provincial government has made a commitment to improve biodiversity and to protect source water and groundwater; destroying contiguous wetlands and forest habitats that are dependent on groundwater sources contravenes several promises and objectives that have been clearly outlined by the Liberals.

We need your voice to help convince the Ministry of Natural Resources that this quarry license should be denied!

_{Photo: CPAWS Wildlands League / T. Simonett}

The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has recently released the draft of its Caribou Conservation Plan (CCP), a requirement under Ontario’s Endangered Species Act (ESA). Earthroots has some major concerns with the province’s Plan.  Although the document contains some high-level principles, it is missing essential aspects that are central to caribou conservation in Ontario.

The biggest issue with the draft is that it does not put an end to the single greatest threat to woodland caribou; the expansion of logging into intact habitat.  Instead, the CCP has been placed in a forest management planning context that is allowing threats to caribou to be perpetuated.  “Scientists have known for years that forestry activities like logging and road building pose direct threats to woodland caribou,” says Carly Armstrong Earthroots Northern Ontario campaigner. “Research has shown that they will not inhabit areas within 13km of roads.  Yet, the province’s Plan allows for the continued expansion of roads and cut-blocks into some of the last remaining caribou habitat areas,” Armstrong adds.  The draft comes as a major disappointment to Ontario’s environmental community, who have been working closely with the government throughout this process.