Recent Major Environmental Issues in Ontario

Biodiversity Protection

Biodiversity Protection

The Malcolm Forest: A Local Test Case- Located 40 kilometres north of Owen Sound, Malcolm Bluff Shores is one of the largest unprotected expanses of woodland on the Niagara Escarpment. - The 423-hectare biodiversity hotspot includes 4kms of Georgian Bay shoreline, wetlands, woodlands, uplands, escarpment and cliff face home to a rich diversity of rare and edge-sensitive species. - extensive logging has occurred on the property in recent years and cottage development was planned to follow- In 2009, Ontario Nature and the Bruce Trail Conservancy (BTC) agreed to partner and purchase 575 acres of the property. In March 2010, BTC acquired an additional 281 acres.

Biodiversity Protection take 2

Foodstock: Stopping the Mega Quarry- The development of a 6-billion-tonne gravel “mega-quarry,” the second-largest in North America, in quiet farm and cottage country some 100 kilometres north of Toronto in Shelburne.- environmental groups are worried about threatened species of birds and fish, the future water scarcity, the disappearance of prime agricultural lands and the impact of noise and carcinogenic dust from continual dynamite explosions and heavy trucking.- a “close to market” clause in 40 year old aggregate (gravel) legislation has meant that gravel can’t be brought in from regions unsuitable for agriculture – approximately 95 per cent of Ontario’s land mass – nor can recycled slag or crushed rock from mines and mills across the province be used.- public is trying to raise awareness with events like Foodstock in order to educate the public on the impacts of such a quarry

Biodiversity Protection take 2

(and this is really an agricultural issue too!)

Groundwater Protection

Ice River Springs: A Local Test Case - In Spring 2006, the Ontario government gave the bottled water companyAquafarms permission to take 11.9 billion litres of water over ten years for theiroperations in Feversham, Ontario. - among the top-four bottled water companies in Canada along with Coke, Pepsi and Nestlé with customers include, Loblaws, Wal-Mart and Shoppers Drug Mart. - Aquafarms is part of the environmentally damaging bottled water industry whichtakes water from municipal, ground and surface sources and bottles it in plastic bottles made from fossil fuels and toxic chemicals, which are then thrown away in landfill sitescontributing to greenhouse gas emissions. - The province of Ontario and Aquafarms have, however, met with some resistance from Feversham residents who insist that the company’s water-takings are having a negative impact on water levels in the area.- Ontarians are angry when water-bottling companies drain water nearby for free and profit from it while local farmers pay tens of thousands of dollars to get their own water flowing again

Groundwater Protection

The Story of Bottled Water

Groundwater Protection take 2

(and this is really a waste issue!!)Site 41: Another Local Test Case - In 2006, the Ontario government approved the creation of a landfill site near Elmvale that was 20.675 acres in size. The total volume of waste and daily cover allowed for the whole life of the site is 1.6 million cubic metres. The lifespan is estimated at 34 years. The warranty against leakage on the seams of the plastic liner contracted to be used in the site is for two years. - Due to extensive public pressure and the dump’s potential threat to pristine groundwater courses, in March 2006 Site 41 was closed and approval as a landfill was revoked.- Regarded as a victory for the public in protecting a public resource- Our waste production, amongst the highest in the world, is still the root cause.

Boreal Forest Protection

What is the boreal forest?- globally important ecosystem containing vast expanses of woodlands rich in wildlife and abundant with rivers and lakes with clear, clean waters.- 30% is covered by wetlands, consisting of bogs, fens, marshes, an estimated 1.5 million lakes and some of the country's largest river systems- a haven for billions of migratory bird species and for the continent's largest populations of winter-adapted mammals: wolves, caribou, wolverines, lynx, and moose- single most important breeding ground for birds in Canada -- estimated that 300 species and 2 billion individual birds breed in the boreal region- characterized by its dependence on disturbance with frequent wildfires and outbreaks of defoliating insects renew huge areas of the landscape

What does the Boreal Forest do for us? are the breeding grounds for 250 million birds trap and store carbon, helping to protect against global warming are home to more than two dozen First Nations communities support large, intact ecosystems that provide habitat for 23 species at risk contain wetlands that store and filter millions of litres of freshwater- IT also provides a critical brake on global warming trends and may be matched only by the world's oceans in its ability to absorb and store carbon from carbon dioxide

What are the threats to the boreal forest?- the southern boreal forest has a long history of industrial use which has fragmented the forest into small patches and caused the disappearance of caribou and wolverine- Ring of Fire represents nearly 40 mining and exploration companies active in the heart of the James Bay Lowlands including a major U.S. mining company developing an open-pit chromite mine and facilities (major ingredient in stainless steel)

Boreal Forest Protection

Most importantly, Ontario’s environment is part of the global environment. To care for our local environment is to care for the planet too.