The Environmental Commissioner's Keys to Successful Implementation of

							                                         Environmental                 Commissaire à
                                         Commissioner                  l'environnement
                                             of Ontario                de l'Ontario


Gord Miller, B.Sc, M.Sc                                                                          Gord Miller, B.Sc, M.Sc.
Commissioner                                                                                     Commissaire


  Ontario must show courage in defending species at risk, urges Environmental Commissioner

March 2, 2009                                                                            For Immediate Release
Toronto – The fate of Ontario’s 183 species at risk depends on the courage of the Ontario Government
in making their protection a priority. This is one conclusion found in a Special Report released by Gord
Miller, the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO), and tabled before the Ontario Legislature
today.
“The Endangered Species Act, 2007 is the last line of defence for imperilled species before they
disappear from Ontario’s landscape,” advises Miller. “Although the new law is a great improvement
over its predecessor, many of its protections can be undermined if the law’s flexibility is misused.”
Today’s report, entitled The Last Line of Defence: A Review of Ontario’s New Protections for Species
at Risk, analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the Endangered Species Act, 2007, which came into
force on June 30, 2008 and whose implementation continues. In the report, the ECO provides the
Government of Ontario with recommendations and key action items to ensure the province’s most
vulnerable species and their habitats are protected and recovered.
For example, under the Act, the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) is given the authority to allow
some activities that may be destructive of habitat, even when that habitat is critical to endangered
species. “The ministry must exercise extreme caution and prudence in using this authority,” Miller
warns.
“I am encouraged to see that the decision to list species as being at risk is now a scientific decision
rather than a political one,” noted Miller. “But without strong commitment and tough decisions, much
of Ontario’s wildlife, and the natural areas it relies on, may be lost forever,” stated Miller.

             The Environmental Commissioner’s Keys to Successful Implementation
                             of the Endangered Species Act, 2007

  •    Use great caution in exercising the power to authorize activities that would otherwise be prohibited under the
       Act, such as killing individual plants or animals, or destroying their habitat.

  •    Ensure that habitats are prescribed on an ecological basis, rather than being driven by economic or social
       constraints.

  •    Ensure that species management and recovery plans and their implementation are robust and effective, and
       are delivered in a timely fashion.


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The Commissioner will host a web-based briefing session at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, March 2nd.
For further information, please check our website at www.eco.on.ca or contact:
Hayley Easto, Communications, Office of the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario
Tel: (416) 325-3371 / Toll-free public inquiry line: 1-800-701-6454 E-mail: media@eco.on.ca

            1075 Bay Street, Suite 605                                                    1075, rue Bay, bureau 605
            Toronto, Ontario, M5S 2B1                                                     Toronto (Ontario) M5S 2B1
            Tel: (416) 325-3377                                                           Tél: (416) 325-3377
            Fax: (416) 325-3370                                                           Téléc. (416) 325-3370
            1-800-701-6454                                                                1-800-701-6454