Ministry wants to loosen protections for endangered species

Toronto Star editorial February 9 20113

It’s a sad state of affairs when a government that once touted the merits of its Endangered Species Act is trying to undo the same rules a few years later.

In the rush for resource development, it appears that Ontario’s Liberal government is sacrificing endangered species, like the woodland caribou depicted on the Canadian quarter, for jobs and the economic benefits the industries provide.

A more thoughtful approach — one that that mitigates the high cost of investigating and issuing development permits — is needed.

Ontario’s embrace of the resource economy is strikingly similar to the federal enthusiasm, with its lack of environmental protections, that was criticized this week in a report by Canada’s outgoing environment commissioner, Scott Vaughan. While the resource boom is vitally important to Ontario, the Ministry of Natural Resources’ plan to loosen protections for species at risk is short-sighted.

The ministry, which dedicates significant manpower to investigate each request for a development permit, is proposing to relax rules that now force companies to protect endangered species in their midst.

Environmentalists such as Anne Bell of Ontario Nature say they are particularly worried about two possible changes. The first would dilute current rules that say a company must “improve” the circumstances for at-risk species. Instead, Bell says the ministry wants to give companies a lower standard requiring only that they “minimize the harm.”

The second fear is that the ministry will give more companies exemptions to the permits — and their rules — making it harder for bureaucrats to monitor protections.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way. Kathleen Wynne will be sworn in as premier next week, with a cabinet full of fresh faces, perhaps including a new minister of natural resources. The timing is perfect for the bureaucrats to hit the pause button by taking a hard look at the impact of the proposed regulatory changes.

Of course, the resource economy plays an important role in Ontario’s future. But if there must be exemptions to the permits, let them be exceptional circumstances and not the norm.

Part of the reason environmentalists believe the changes are being proposed is the high cost of investigating the impact of each development plan. If financial constraint is one of the reasons for the changes, then the ministry should look at the recommendations of economist Don Drummond. His report on public service reform recommended that environmental programs operate on a user-pay model. That makes good sense.

For now, the ministry says its proposals are a smart way to streamline the system, finding a “balance” between species protection and supporting growth industries in Ontario. But, Bell warns, the risk is that “government oversight will be dramatically cut.”

Many of the endangered species that could be affected are elusive creatures that are rarely seen. Still, they are important to Ontario’s eco-system. The ministry should at least give them a fighting chance.