Ontario is the worst in Canada for nature conservation, according to a new national report card from the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS). The province received an F — the lowest grade of any jurisdiction — due to what the report describes as environmental neglect, unchecked industrial expansion and a failure to seize key conservation opportunities.
The report criticizes the Ford government for prioritizing development over environmental protection, rolling back safeguards for wetlands, water and endangered species, and failing to support Indigenous-led conservation initiatives.
Ontario’s support for biodiversity goals is undermined by its continued focus on industrial development, CPAWS said, warning that endangered species habitat, forests and wetlands are being lost to “reckless and irresponsible developments” that threaten climate and conservation efforts.
“It is a combination of actively doing bad things, but also not doing the good things they [Ford government] could do,” said Dave Pearce, senior forest conservation manager at Wildlands League. Pearce was among the authors of the report.
In recent years, the Ford government has introduced legislative changes to fast-track housing and infrastructure projects, while cutting environmental assessment timelines for roads, rail, and transmission lines. The Ford government has also faced criticism for proposed amendments to Ontario’s Endangered Species Act.
Conservation groups warn the changes would reduce protections for at-risk species like the redside dace minnow and butternut tree — both found in areas slated for development, including the proposed Highway 413 corridor.
With only 10.9 per cent of land protected, well short of Canada’s 30 per cent by 2030 target, critical habitats for endangered species and vital wetlands are being lost at an alarming rate, the report added.
The provincial government did not respond to questions from Canada’s National Observer about its environmental record.
Pearce says the province has ignored multiple invitations from the federal government to collaborate on conservation, including efforts to protect threatened caribou populations and expand National Marine Conservation Areas in the Great Lakes.
Quebec earns an A-
According to CPAWS, Quebec is the national leader in land protection, earning the highest grade in the country — an A-. The province has protected nearly 17 per cent of its land and more than 10 per cent of its marine territory. CPAWS praised Quebec for its $650-million investment in conservation, its 2030 Nature Plan, and for launching an open, innovative process to identify new protected areas with public and Indigenous input.
British Columbia also received high marks, with a B grade. The province committed to protecting 30 per cent of its lands by 2030 in partnership with First Nations and has backed that goal with $563 million in funding. The province also released a new Coastal Marine Strategy in 2024.
Alberta received a D- in CPAWS’ report card, reflecting the province’s lack of commitment to conservation, according to the report. Despite having conserved 15.5 per cent of its land, the province has made no active commitments to protect 30 per cent by 2030 and has openly opposed the federal biodiversity strategy, the report reads. CPAWS highlighted Alberta’s continued prioritization of extractive industries, like coal and forestry, even in sensitive ecosystems, while rolling back nature protection laws and weakening the integrity of the Endangered Species Act.
Pearce said conservation is a non-partisan issue with broad public support and tangible benefits.
“It’s about clean water, climate resilience, biodiversity and even national security,” Pearce said. “More protected areas mean less flooding, more carbon storage, and places for people to go during extreme heat.”
Pearce said Canadians take pride in the country’s natural history and unspoiled wilderness, viewing it as a core part of national identity, a unique brand, and a powerful attraction. “It’s not just emotional — nature supports our way of life.”
Development prioritized over conservation
According to the report, in 2024, Ontario proposed a $10-million plan to add 27 sites to its parks system and conservation reserves, but most were identified for protection years ago and would boost protected land by only 0.01 per cent. Many are in southern Ontario, one of Canada’s most ecologically stressed regions, the report notes.
The report also highlights Ontario’s lack of support for Indigenous-led conservation. Nations such as Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug, Moose Cree and Grassy Narrows have proposed large Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs), but the province has not acted on these proposals.
Instead, the government has continued to prioritize development in the Ring of Fire, a mineral-rich region that is also home to sensitive ecosystems, Indigenous communities and vast carbon-storing peatlands, Pearce said.
The Ontario government significantly weakened the role of the province’s 36 conservation authorities between 2022 and 2024 by removing their oversight of land development and requiring them to identify “surplus” conservation lands for potential housing under the More Homes Built Faster Act.
Despite the bleak overall picture, the creation of Uxbridge Urban Provincial Park and provincial support for the proposed Ojibway National Urban Park were acknowledged as positive developments.
The province has also committed to regulating some of the Ontario Living Legacy lands — originally identified for protection over two decades ago — though many still await formal designation.
Still, Pearce emphasized that these small steps fall far short of what's needed and warned the longer Ontario delays, the harder it will be to reverse the province’s declining conservation record.
To reverse course, CPAWS laid out a series of recommendations for the Ontario government. These include committing to protect 30 per cent of land and water by 2030, supporting Indigenous-led conservation in the boreal and Hudson Bay Lowlands, halting logging in Algonquin Park and creating a network of connected protected areas across the province.
The report also calls for new investments to expand and properly manage the protected areas system, stronger protections for species at risk and the restoration of conservation authority and funding to Ontario’s conservation authorities.
Abdul Matin Sarfraz / Canada’s National Observer / Local Journalism Initiative
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