OTTAWA – Ontario Nature and Wildlands League have filed an application with the Supreme Court of Canada, asking the Court to hear an appeal affecting all endangered and threatened species in Ontario. If leave to appeal is granted, this would be the first appeal ever heard by the Supreme Court of Canada regarding species at risk.
The environmental groups seek to appeal an October 11, 2016 decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal. That disappointing ruling upheld the Ontario government’s 2013 regulation exempting many harmful industrial activities from complying with core provisions of the Endangered Species Act, 2007. The province’s exemption regulation deprives all 167 endangered and threatened species in Ontario of legal protection against being killed and against destruction of their habitats. By removing critical protections, the exemptions leave the species with a bleak future.
New documents filed with the Supreme Court of Canada:
- Notice of Application for Leave to Appeal, December 9, 2016
- Memorandum of Argument, December 9, 2016
For media inquiries:
- Anna Baggio, Director Conservation Planning | Wildlands League | 416-453-3285 | anna@wildlandsleague.org
- Caroline Schultz, Executive Director | Ontario Nature | 416-768-9795 | carolines@ontarionature.org
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Ontario Nature protects wild species and wild spaces through conservation, education and public engagement. Ontario Nature is a charitable organization representing more than 30,000 members and supporters, and 150 member groups across Ontario (see www.ontarionature.org).
CPAWS Wildlands League is a leading conservation organization in Ontario. We protect wilderness through the establishment of protected areas and through the promotion of natural resource use that is sustainable for nature, communities, and the economy (see www.wildlandsleague.org).
