Policy move puts forestry at risk, say Northern leaders: communities, First Nations outraged over lack of consultation on environmental legislation.

• Position: FORESTRY

Northern and rural mayors say the Ontario government is reneging on a promise to consult with them on proposed policy changes surrounding legislation to protect species at risk.

A joint Aug. 3 news release from the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA), the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) and the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (RONA) express concern that the province isn't listening to them or stakeholders who make a living in Ontario's forests.

The municipal groups say the Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change (MNR) is preparing to post online a draft version of the Species at Risk guide to the Environmental Registry for 28 species.

The registry is supposed to provide a forum for the public to comment on government proposals and decisions. But the mayors say, based on past experience, once a proposal is posted, often there's "little change" in policy.

The issue goes back to 2007 when Queen's Park first unveiled the Endangered Species Act (ESA) which became a lightning rod that rankled industry groups and Northern municipalities.

Community and forestry leaders viewed the legislation back then as ruinous to the North's economy, fearing that the ESA would involve the introduction of a costly permitting system that would hold industry to an impossible standard.

They argued that the Crown Forest Sustainability Act already provides adequate protection for species at risk and habitat protection. The ESA, they said, just added more red tape and duplication to existing forest management practices.

After consulting with forestry stakeholders, the MNR introduced more industry-friendly rules in 2013, granting a five-year exemption to sectors like forestry while the government worked out a way to "harmonize" the two pieces of legislation.

The mayors said in the news release that the ministry has never carried through on its commitment to create a stakeholder panel.

The ESA exemption has since been challenged in court by environmental groups, who argue that man-made activity, such as logging, threatens caribou habitat and has pushed endangered species to near extinction.

In an Aug. 3 release, the mayors insist the Crown Forest Sustainability Act provides balance in protecting species at risk while taking into consideration the industry's objectives for the forest. They say the Endangered Species Act only focuses on individual species and protecting their habitats.

FONOM president and Kapuskasing Mayor Al...