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Ontario Parks Act
Status: Victory
Successfully advocated for Ontario's strong new protected areas legislation - the province's first Parks Act in fifty years
After several years of pressure from conservation groups, Ontario lived up to its promise to pass the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act (Bill 11) in June 2006. The new legislation is the first new parks act in fifty years and will protect the current system of more than 600 provincial parks and conservation reserves – covering over 9% of the province.
Ecojustice had assisted in the development of the legislation, including drafting a model protected areas act and making submissions before the Standing Committee of the Legislative Assembly. Our participation ensured that the legislation sets ecological integrity of the protected areas as a priority.
The new law came into force on September 4, 2007 and we continue to monitor the implementation of the Act and look for strategic opportunities to ensure the purpose of the legislation is upheld.
Staff:
Dr. Anastasia Lintner, Staff Lawyer and Economist, Toronto
Albert Koehl, Staff Lawyer, Toronto
