Watchdog’s report worrisome, says Dunlop

MPP charges provincial government isn’t doing enough to protect biodiversity
Travis Mealing Midland mirror Jan 17, 2012
 MIDLAND – Simcoe North MPP Garfield Dunlop says it is imperative for Simcoe County and the entire province that the Ontario government takes a leadership role in protecting biodiversity.
In a report released last week, “Biodiversity: A Nation’s Commitment, an Obligation for Ontario,” Environmental Commissioner Gord Miller said the province must stem the continuing decline in species and natural spaces.
“My riding of Simcoe North is a perfect example of where such protective measures are needed,” Dunlop stated in a press release. “We live in an area where reforestation and protection of wetlands and species at risk are vital to good health, growth and a sustainable future.”
Miller indicated in his report that a new biodiversity strategy is needed for Ontario. He took the government to task for not having a plan to stem threats posed by habitat degradation, climate change, invasive species and pollution.
Ontario adopted a biodiversity strategy in 2005, but it expired last year and the Liberals have not adopted an updated plan.
The government can’t avoid its obligation to respond to an urgent crisis, Miller said, but the province is “ill prepared” to meet the challenge.
“We could lose sugar maple trees from southern Ontario,” he said after the report’s release. “We could lose black spruce in northern Ontario. We already have a major crisis in our fisheries in the Great Lakes. These are real, real problems.”
“The commissioner’s warning about the threats from invasive species like Asian longhorn beetles also hits close to home,” Dunlop said. “There are a high number of maple-syrup producers in our region who count on healthy maple tress and woodlands to survive.”
The Progressive Conservative MPP charged Premier Dalton McGuinty and his Liberals have kept a tight grip on the Simcoe County Growth Plan, but have ignored other key issues.
“They micro-manage the growth plan,” he said, “but have no guts or the courage to properly look after beetles that are killing our trees.”
Unless Ontario and other provinces take action, Canada’s international commitments on biodiversity will be meaningless, Miller said. But, with the Liberals poised to make significant cuts in some departments, critics worry those charged with protecting the environment will be the first to face the chopping block.
The government has warned ministries other than health and education that they may face dramatic cuts this year as they struggle to slay a $16-billion deficit.
Last November, Miller warned that the budgets for the environment and natural resources ministries had been slashed so much that the province was at a “tipping point.”