Species at Risk / Endangered Species / Species of Concern

“Extinction is forever.”

Provincial

On June 29, 2018 the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks assumed responsibility for the Endangered Species Act, 2007.  The act was formerly the responsibility of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.

According to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources website (as at 3-Jun-2013):

With the passage of the Endangered Species Act (ESA 2007), Ontario becomes a North American leader in species at risk protection and recovery.

Ontario's original Endangered Species Act was written back in 1971.  Since then there have been big changes in the province; changes in land and resource use, planning processes, and increasing threats to our native species.  It was time for updated legislation.

During the year long review process we asked Aboriginal communities, industry and resource organizations, environmental groups, other partners, the Endangered Species Act Review Advisory Panel, and the Ontario public for their views.  Support was strong for updated species at risk legislation.

Compared to Ontario's previous Act, the new ESA 2007 provides

• broader protection for species at risk and their habitats,
• greater support for volunteer stewardship efforts of private landowners, resource users, and conservation organizations,
• a stronger commitment to recovery of species,
• greater flexibility,
• increased fines, more effective enforcement, and
• greater accountability, including government reporting requirements.

However, on May 31, 2013, Ontario’s provincial Cabinet under McGuinty/Wynne announced sweeping exemptions for industry under the Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA).  The new exemptions lowered the standard of protection for endangered plants and animals across many industries, including forestry, pits and quarries, renewable energy, hydro, mining, infrastructure development, waste management, and commercial and residential development.  The new exemptions also dramatically reduced government oversight of activities affecting Ontario’s lakes, rivers, forests, and wildlife.

In 2019, the provincial government under the Ford government continued to “increase efficiencies” for businesses.  The Environmental Commissioner's role, a position that reported directly to the Legislature and filled by all-party recommendation and unanimous vote, was abolished by the government with responsibilities for the enforcement and administration of the environmental registry (EBR) transferred to the Auditor General of Ontario.

Federal

The Species at Risk Act (SARA) is part of Canada’s strategy to protect hundreds of wild plants and animal species from becoming extinct, and to help in their recovery.

The Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA) requires the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks to ensure recovery strategies are prepared for all species listed as endangered or threatened on the Species at Risk in Ontario (SARO) List. Under the

ESA, a recovery strategy may incorporate all or part of an existing plan that relates to the species.

Species at risk public registry

SPECIFIC ISSUES

AWARE-Ontario considers these species of concern in the challenges that they face, however, not all are “at risk” or “endangered” as defined by government.

Bees & Other Pollinators

Link to AWARE-Ontario’s Bees & Other Pollinators News

Caribou

The caribou also known as reindeer is a species of deer native to Arctic, sub-Arctic, tundra, boreal, and mountainous regions across the world.  Some subspecies are rare and at least one has already become extinct:  the Queen Charlotte Islands caribou of Canada.  In Canada, the image of a caribou is iconic and appears on the $0.25 coin. (Wikipedia)

Date yyyy-mm-dd	Source	Title	Comment
2020-02-21	TheNarwhal.ca (BC)	B.C. partners with First Nations to create new park in habitat for endangered caribou herds, threatened species	Sarah Cox - Indigenous Guardians program
2020-01-21	Leadnow.ca	Petition: Save the Caribou
2019-06-13	National Observer	Story of Survival	Emilee Gilpin - Peace River, BC
2018-05-12	EcoWatch / onEarth	America’s Last Woodland Caribou Herd Is Down to Just Three Animals	Jason Bittel
2018-05-04	Toronto Star	Alberta, B.C. caribou need immediate intervention to survive, federal government says	The Canadian Press
2018-04-23	Toronto Star	Canada to oppose Alaska oil drilling on caribou habitat: minister	Bob Weber, The Canadian Press
2018-03-25	Global News	Alberta’s stance on caribou a ‘national test case’ of Species at Risk Act	Colette Derworiz
2018-03-09	WesternStar.com	Quebec government to let threatened woodland caribou herd die off	The Canadian Press
2018-03-09	CBC News	Efforts to save woodland caribou in northern Quebec too costly, says province	Julia Page
2017-06-22	Nrdc.org	Plight of Val d’Or Caribou Is Wakeup Call for Quebec	Anthony Swift, Jennifer Skene and Courtenay Lewis
2017-04-21	CBC News	Quebec to send threatened woodland caribou to zoo for protection	Angelica Montgomery
2017-04-20	CBC News	Environmental group sues Catherine McKenna for failing to report on efforts to save caribou habitat	Peter Zimonjic, Susan Lunn
2015-08-08	CBC News	Nearly entire caribou herd at St-Félicien zoo mysteriously dies

Monarch Butterflies

Link to AWARE-Ontario’s Monarch Butterfly News

Piping Plovers

Date yyyy-mm-dd	Source	Title	Comment
2022-04-25	Thenarwhal.ca	Plovers and friends: Sauble Beach town’s $100,000 fine for bulldozing bird habitat stands	Fatima Syed - Town of South Bruce Peninsula
2019-10-18	Environmental Defence	Victory! Town of South Bruce Peninsula found guilty of destroying endangered piping plover habitat	Kelsey Scarfone
2019-04-11	TheStar.com	Sauble Beach’s mayor is accused of destroying rare birds’ habitat. She says Doug Ford is on her side	Sandro Contenta
2018-05-03	OwenSoundSuntimes.com	Endangered piping plovers return to Sauble Beach	Denis Langlois
2017-08-24	Owen Sound Sun Times	Complaint halts beach bulldozer work at Sauble	Scott Dunn
2017-06-07	Simcoe.com	Wasaga Beach marks 10 years of piping plovers	Ian Adams
2015-06-15	World Wildlife Fund	The Return of the Endangered Piping Plover	Jarmila Becka Lee
2015-06-13	CTV News	Piping Plover comeback on Great Lakes aided by army of volunteers	Marlene Leung

Turtles

Date yyyy-mm-dd	Source	Title	Comment
2019-01-14	North Bay Nugget	Save the Turtle, Stop the Casino, North Bay group says
2018-05-08	CBC	Virus that has contributed to “mass mortality” in reptiles confirmed in Canadian turtle for first time	Dan Taekema
2018-04	Canadian Wildlife Service Environment and Climate Change Canada	COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report:  Midland Painted Turtle, Eastern Painted Turtle (.pdf)	COSEWIC
2017-11-03	EcoWatch / Lorraine Chow	Hundreds of Sea Turtles Found Dead Off El Salvador and No One Knows Why	Lorraine Chow Telegraph
2017-07-05	Hamilton Spectator	How did the turtle cross the road? With some help from its friends	Sheryl Nadler
2017-05-31	BBC News	Turtle disaster avoided with roadkill rescue	Sean Coughlan
2017-05-26	Global News	How an Ontario community set a global example for saving turtles on a deadly road	Allison Vuchnich, Veronica Tang
2017-04-03	CBC News	Ontario bans snapping turtle hunt after public outcry
2016-02-02	National Geographic	Famous Giant Turtle Dies—Only Three Left on Earth	Scott Duke Harris - rafetus turtle, China
2014-05-26	In The Hills	Imperilled Turtles	Don Scallen
2014-03-28	EcoWatch / Traffic	Surge in Illegal Trade of Turtles and Tortoises Spells Trouble for Rare Species
2012-04-25	Toronto Sun	Ontario changes rules on capturing snapping turtles	Antonella Artuso “species of special concern”
2012-02-18	Toronto Star	Ontario snapping turtle endangered yet hunted	Mary Ormsby
2009-04-14	Youtube / PBS	NATURE | The Loneliest Animals | Last Living Pair | PBS	- rafetus turtles, China

NEWS – General – Concern about Wildlife

Date yyyy-mm-dd	Source	Title	Comment
2020-11-17	France24.com	'Abnormal spike in deaths' as fin whales wash up on French shores
2020-09-15	Global News	‘Unprecedented’: Birds mysteriously dropping dead across southwestern U.S.	Josh K. Elliott
2020-06-26	Toronto Sun	Dead dolphins wash up on France’s shores in record numbers	Reuters
2020-04-05	Backantravels.info (Kazakhstan)	60,000 Antelope Died in Four Days and No One Knows Why	- 2015 - Pasteurella, clostridia bacteria?
2020-04-16	EcoWatch (USA)	Wild Bears 'Having a Party' in Coronavirus-Closed Yosemite National Park	Madison Dapcevich
2020-04-10	EcoWatch (Greece)	Thousands of Migrating Birds Found Dead or Injured in Greece	Olivia Rosane
2020-03-02	EcoWatch	Trump Admin Failed to Protect 241 Species From Extinction	Jordan Davidson
2019-12-08	The Big Wobble	Fish all gone! Gulf of Alaska fishery to close for the first time ever: No more cod: Salmon all but gone: Millions of small sea birds died since 2015
2019-11-23	Forbes.com	Koalas ‘Functionally Extinct’ After Australia Bushfires Destroy 80% Of Their Habitat	Trevor Nace
2019-11-23	BBC News	Malaysia's last known Sumatran rhino dies	(EcoWatch)
2019-07-10	CTV Ottawa	Ottawa Riverkeeper says 'something that got in the water' likely source of hundreds of dead fish	Joanne Schnurr AO News - Water
2016-06-06	AWARE-Simcoe.ca / Ontario Nature	Tragic day for vulnerable species in Ontario	Ontario Nature
2019-04-18	TheNarwhal.ca	‘It just takes too damn long’: How Canada’s law for protecting at-risk species is failing	Larry Pynn
2019-04-22	CTV News	American Bumblebee facing 'imminent extinction' in Canada: researchers	Christy Somos AO News – Pollinators - Bees
2019-04-11	EcoWatch / Olivia Rosane	28 Tons of Trafficked Pangolin Scales Seized in Singapore	Olivia Rosane
2019-03-12	TheGuardian.com	'Almost certain extinction': 1,200 species under severe threat across world	Lisa Cox
2019-03-06	TheGuardian.com (USA)	Endangered species face 'disaster' under Trump administration	Oliver Milman
2019-01-31	EcoWatch / Olivia Rosane	Warming Oceans Strongly Linked to Sea Star Die-Off	Olivia Rosane Youtube video
2019-01-11	EcoWatch / Lorraine Chow	WATCH: Poachers Ambush Sea Shepherd Vessel Protecting Nearly Extinct Vaquita	Lorraine Chow - Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd Captain - vaquita, world’s most endangered marine mammal
2018-11-12	CTV News	'So many bears:' Draft plan says Nunavut polar bear numbers unsafe	Bob Weber, The Canadian Press - too many polar bears? [indicative of the difficulty in getting reliable stats]
2018-11-01	EcoWatch / Olivia Rosane	5 Countries Control 70% of the World’s Remaining Wilderness	Olivia Rosane USA, Brazil, Canada, Russia, Australia
2018-10-30	TheGuardian.com	Humanity has wiped out 60% of animal populations since 1970, report finds	Damian Carrington
2018-08-01	National Post	The world's largest king penguin colony has collapsed, losing nearly 90 per cent of its population
2018-06-25	EcoWatch / Lorraine Chow	Major Oil Spill Contaminates 1,000 Birds in Rotterdam Harbor	Lorraine Chow AO News – Oil  & Gas Spills
2018-05-16	Water Canada	New Aquatic Species Added to Endangered Species List	Katherine Balpataky - Midland Painted Turtle
2018-03-09	InsideHalton.com	Burlington's King Road to close for annual Jefferson salamander migration	Burlington Post
2018-03-05	DailyMail.com	Storm Emma's grisly aftermath: Incredible pictures show beaches blanketed by millions of dead fish, crabs and seals dragged ashore by gale-force winds and an underwater storm	Mark Duell
2018-02-27	Financial Post	Polar bears keep thriving even as global warming alarmists keep pretending they’re dying	Susan Crockford
2018-01-24	EcoWatch / The Revelator	Ghost Cat Gone: Eastern Cougar Officially Declared Extinct	John R. Platt
2017-12-15	National Observer	Bluefin tuna in P.E.I. are so hungry they no longer fear humans	Elizabeth McSheffrey
2017-12-12	Toronto Star	Ontario regulations are jeopardizing species at risk, report says	Miriam Katawazi
2017-10-25	Sudbury Star	Ont. failing to protect special wolves: Report	Jim Moodie ECO CTV Newsclip
2017-10-07	TheBigWobble.org	Hundreds of thousands of fish, crabs, shrimp and other species are washing up dead on India's west coast leaving experts baffled	Gary Walton
2017-09-28	CTV News	Drone study finds endangered BC orcas are malnourished
2017-08-29	TheGuardian.com	Sea Shepherd says it will abandon pursuit of Japanese whalers	Ben Doherty
2017-07-11	New York Times	Era of ‘Biological Annihilation’ Is Underway, Scientists Warn	Tatiana Schlossberg
2017-06-27	EcoWatch / Lorraine Chow	6 Endangered Whales Found Dead This Month in 'Unprecedented Event'	Lorraine Chow
2017-05-03	Globe and Mail	Nine aquatic animals added to Canada’s list of at-risk species	Luke Carroll
2017-03-21	YourNewsWire.com	Hundreds Of Millions Of Salmon Feared Dead On US West Coast	Sean Adl-Tabatabai
2016-12-09	Smithsonian.com	Giraffes Silently Slip Onto the Endangered Species List	Jason Daley
2016-11-11	EcoWatch / Dan Zukowski	70 Giant Freshwater Stingrays Found Dead in Thailand River	Dan Zukowski
2016-10-26	Toronto Star	Ontario’s moose population under threat, some bats may be wiped out entirely, environment report says	Kristin Rushowy
2016-10-11	Toronto Star	Law allowing exemptions to Ontario’s endangered species rules upheld	Liam Casey
2016-09-15	NYwolf.org	Ontario Opts to Allow Threatened Algonquin Wolves to Be Hunted/Trapped	EBR 012-8105
2016-09-14	Globe and Mail	Bird populations in steep decline in North America, study finds	Eric Andrew-Gee
2016-09-14	New Eastern Outlook	Cynthia: Flesh-Eating Synthetic Bacteria that has Gone Wild	Jean Perier (.pdf)
2016-07-08	Aptn.ca	Mi’kmaq band asks for emergency order to protect at-risk salmon from natural gas project	Trina Roache - Nova Scotia - first time Cdn Dept of Fisheries & Oceans is asked to protect aquatic species at risk - AO Info:  First Nations News
2015-12-29	TheDodo.com	The Chilling Image Behind Every Vaccine You’ve Ever Had	Sarah V. Schweig - horseshoe crabs
2015-10-05	NYTimes.com	Environmentalists Praise Wildlife Measures in Trans-Pacific Trade Pact	Ron Nixon and Coral Davenport
2015-09-19	Toronto Star	Opinion:  Canada is no country for vulnerable wildlife	Devon Page
2015-01-29	Natural News	West Coast orcas experiencing 100% infant mortality rate as radiation from Fukushima drifts across ocean	Daniel Barker AO Info:  Fukushima News
2015-01-03	EcoWatch / Anastasia Pantsios	10 Animal Species That Could Vanish in 2015 if We Don’t Act Now	Anastasia Pantsios
2014-12-19	The Diplomat	Spare a Thought for the Tiger of East Asia, It’s Almost Gone	Luke Hunt
2014-12-15	CBC News BC	Pregnant killer whale J-32 was starving, necropsy reveals
2014-12-12	CBC News	Canada opts not to block international trade in 76 endangered species
2014-12-11	Huffington Post	Canada Hasn’t Blocked Global Trade in 76 Endangered Species: Docs	Bob Weber, The Canadian Press
2014-08-26	CNW Newswire	Government of Canada is taking action to protect species at risk	Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk
2014-04-24	Huffington Post	Blog: Down-Listing Jeopardizes Humpback Whales	Chris Genovali
2014-03-28	Iler Campbell	Federal Court finds Canadian government failed to protect species at risk	Laura Bowman Rabble.ca article
2014-03-04	Straight.com	David Suzuki:  The fate of federally recognized endangered species remains in jeopardy	David Suzuki
2014-02-13	Youtube / Sustainable Human	How Wolves Change Rivers (5 mins)
2013-11-09	Green Party of Ontario	Video: Liberals sell out endangered species to corporate interests (2mins)	Mike Schreiner - gov’t removing Endangered species permits from the EBR process
2013-10-30	Globe and Mail	White fungus spells a dark future for North America’s bat populations	Dene Moore
2013-07-13	Common Dreams	“Significant” Destruction of Canadian Wildlife Serves “Public Interest”, says Govt Panel	Jon Queally
2013-06-30	Daily Mail (UK)	… Raja the baby elephant …	Mark Shand, palm oil
2013-05-31	Sun News	Ontario endangered species changes spark controversy	Antonella Artuso
2013-05-31	Ontario Nature	Ontario Government Abandons Endangered Species
2013-03-11	InsideHalton.com	Dates set for salamander road closure	Temporary closure for Jefferson Salamander
2013-02-27	Mike Schreiner, Green Party of Ontario	Tim Hudak’s attack on endangered species is misguided and unnecessary
2013-02-27	Toronto Star	Tim Hudak warns endangered species regulations hurting business	Robert Benzie

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Disclaimer: This information has been compiled through private amateur research for the purpose of allowing the reader to make an informed and educated decision.  However, while the information is believed to be reliable, accuracy cannot be guaranteed.

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