Ecojustice will be in court today. It will argue, on behalf of Ontario Nature and Wildlands League that Regulation 176/13, which allows major industries, such as forestry and mining developments, to avoid strict standards intended to protect at-risk species and their habitats, undermines and contravenes the Endangered Species Act.
Ecojustice will be arguing that:
- The regulatory exemptions undermine the Endangered Species’s very purposes, which are “to protect species that are at risk and their habitats, and to promote the recovery of species at risk.”
- The Minister of Natural Resources, David Orazietti, failed to consider the impacts of the regulations on each of the 155 species listed under the Act as either endangered or threatened before recommending that the regulations be made by Cabinet.
This is a tough argument to win, but a win could have broad implications for species at risk. The case will be heard by the Divisional Court at Osgoode Hall, 130 Queen St. West, Toronto. The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. in Courtroom 3.