Released Nov 29, much of the news reports cover climate change initiatives, although conservation and parks related issues are also included. The plan is general and often doesn't include specifics and funding, and priorities aren't summarized. Maybe these will appear in the Environmental Registry later on if they aren't prioritized now... (or, OTOH, maybe they won't be).
Here's the link:
https://prod-environmental-registry.s3. ... Plan_1.pdfSome snips that seem to be relevant copied here and I've bolded some that might be worth watching.
Minister's intro:
Quote:
...Ontario is home to hundreds of thousands of lakes, rivers and waterways that are
the lifeblood of our province, where people fish, kayak and swim. We also
rely on our waters to transport goods, feed our crops, and have a safe,
reliable source of drinking water.
I am pleased to present the following made-in-Ontario plan to keep our
province beautiful by protecting our air, land and water, preventing and
reducing litter and waste, supporting Ontarians to continue to do their
share to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and helping communities and
families prepare for climate change...
Litter and cleanup
Quote:
Reduce litter in our neighbourhoods and parks
Our environment plan reflects our government’s
commitment to keep our neighbourhoods, parks
and waterways clean and free of litter and waste.
Ontario will establish an official day
focused on cleanup of litter in Ontario,
coordinated with schools, municipalities
and businesses, to raise awareness
about the impacts of waste in our
neighbourhoods, in our waterways and
in our green spaces.
Develop future conservation leaders through
supporting programs that will actively clean
up litter in Ontario’s green spaces, including
provincial parks, conservation areas and
municipalities.
Conservation
Quote:
We as Ontarians have a long history of putting a
strong focus on expanding Ontario’s parks and
protected areas. In 1999, Ontario’s Living Legacy
Land Use Strategy was announced. A clear and
major goal of this plan was to complete Ontario’s system of parks and protected areas. Our government remains dedicated to maintaining the natural beauty of our province.
Support conservation and environmental
planning
Look to modernize Ontario’s environmental
assessment process, which dates back to
the 1970s, to address duplication, streamline
processes, improve service standards to
reduce delays, and better recognize other
planning processes.
Protect vulnerable or sensitive natural areas
such as wetlands and other important
habitats through good policy, strong science,
stewardship and partnerships.
Improve coordination of land use planning and
environmental approval processes by updating
ministry guidelines to help municipalities avoid
the impacts of conflicting land uses.
Promote parks and increase recreational
opportunities
Support the creation of new trails across the
province.
Provide Ontario families with more opportunities
to enjoy provincial parks and increase the
number of Ontarians taking advantage of parks
by 10% or approximately one million more
visitors while protecting the natural environment.
Look for opportunities to expand access to
parks throughout the province, but ensure
Ontario Parks has the tools it needs to conduct
its business and create a world-class parks
experience.
Work to ensure that all fish and wildlife licence
fees, fines and royalties collected in the Special
Purpose Account go towards its stated purpose
of conservation, with transparency for hunters
and anglers in Ontario.
Review management of provincial parks and
conservation reserves to ensure effectiveness
by exploring internationally recognized tools
and best practices.
Share the responsibility of conserving Ontario’s
protected lands by continuing to partner
with municipalities, conservation authorities,
Indigenous communities, conservation
organizations and other community groups
such as trail groups
Implementation
Quote:
IMPLEMENTING OUR PLAN
Begin implementing priority initiatives
In the plan we have identified a number of
priority initiatives. Some of these initiatives
are already underway and we will begin
implementation of the remaining initiatives
following consultation.
We want Ontarians to see how our plan is
helping them save money and improve the
quality of their lives and communities. We
are committed to reporting regularly on
the progress we make on our plan and to
developing key indicators of progress
because we believe that transparency is
important to the success of this plan. We are
also committed to reviewing the environment
plan every four years.
Our consultations and engagement with various
stakeholders, Indigenous communities and the
public will help refine our environment initiatives
by incorporating valuable insights that ensure the
actions we adopt reflect the needs of Ontarians
Comments, ideas and suggestions on the actions
and initiatives in Ontario’s plan to protect the
environment can be made on the Environmental
Registry