Endangered Species Habitat Replacement on Public Lands

The Public Gallery wrote no story on this item. What follows is the city’s own record of what happened to it, as filed: nothing on this page is summarised or scored by us.

The decision

2024-02-06 · Toronto City Council · amended

As filed

City Council on February 6 and 7, 2024, adopted the following: 1. City Council direct the Interim Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, and the Acting General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, in consultation with other Divisions and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority as appropriate, to review and report to Infrastructure and Environment Committee, by the third quarter of 2024, on applicable policies concerning the use of City property to create replacement habitat for the purposes of the Endangered Species Act, 2007, with such report: a.

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taking into account the Province's failure to adequately protect species at risk, as documented by the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario in the 2017 Environmental Protection Report, titled Good Choices, Bad Choices; and b. identifying any potential policy or planning process improvements which may assist in providing a net gain for the affected species, including requiring at least two high quality replacement habitats for each existing habitat destroyed.

On the agenda

As the city filed it

Under the provincial Endangered Species Act, those who wish to damage or destroy the habitat of an endangered species must construct replacement habitat. Such "replacement" habitats typically have a poor success rate in supporting continued breeding success of the endangered species. The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario therefore recommended that at least two high quality replacement habitats should be constructed before permitting destruction of the original habitat.

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Developers intending to destroy endangered species habitat often wish to save money by constructing their replacement habitats in parks or other City property, to avoid having to purchase replacement habitat lands. The City should not permit public property to be used for this purpose unless at least two high quality replacement habitats are constructed for each existing habitat destroyed.

Staff recommended

Councillor Dianne Saxe recommends that: 1. City Council direct the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, in consultation with other departments or the Toronto Region Conservation Authority, as appropriate, to require that, whenever City property is used to create replacement habitat for the purposes of the Endangered Species Act, 2007, at least two high quality replacement habitats for each existing habitat destroyed.

Considered

2024-01-09 · Infrastructure and Environment Committee · amended
Decision as filed
The Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends that: 1. City Council direct the Interim Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, and the Acting General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, in consultation with other Divisions as appropriate, to review and report to Infrastructure and Environment Committee, by the third quarter of 2024, on applicable policies concerning the use of City property to create replacement habitat for the purposes of the Endangered Species Act, 2007, with such report: a.
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taking into account the province's failure to adequately protect species at risk, as documented by the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario in the 2017 Environmental Protection Report, titled Good Choices, Bad Choices; and b. identifying any potential policy or planning process improvements which may assist in providing a net gain for the affected species, including requiring at least two high quality replacement habitats for each existing habitat destroyed.
2024-02-06 · Toronto City Council · amended

On the record

The item as the City filed it