Statement

Ontario Declares Santa Claus an Essential Service

December 17, 2020

Premier Doug Ford issued the following statement on Santa Claus' annual delivery of gifts:

"As children across Ontario count down the days to Christmas with excitement, I want to reassure all the boys and girls out there that Santa is still coming this year despite the COVID-19 pandemic.  

As Premier, I have officially designated Santa Claus as an essential service provider and authorized to deliver toys, treats and good cheer to the children of Ontario. I have also designated the Elves' Toy Workshop as an essential manufacturing business and authorized to supply Santa Claus with toys and gifts. Finally, Santa's Reindeer, including Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph, are proclaimed essential transportation service providers and permitted to pull Santa's sleigh across every part of Ontario.

Santa and his reindeer have one of the most essential jobs of all, delivering toys to all the good children in Ontario and around the world every Christmas Eve. While this Christmas is different than any other, Santa is taking every safety precaution necessary and will continue to make his rounds.

I would like to thank Santa Claus, the elves, reindeer and all of Ontario's essential workers this holiday season. From nurses to construction workers, personal care workers to grocery store clerks and so many other essential workers, we are grateful for the hard work you have done all year long.  

From my family to yours, I want to wish everyone a healthy and safe Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday season!"

CONTACTS

Ivana Yelich
Premier’s Office
Ivana.Yelich@ontario.ca

Office of the Premier
http://www.ontario.ca/premier

Given that a large number of as yet unknown and potentially undisturbed archaeological resources lay protected on Conservation Lands, this news seems promising.  Keep an eye out for calls for Public Consultation in 2021 so that we can increase awareness for the protection of cultural resources on public lands.

- Cathy Crinnion, APA Administrative Secretary

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News Release

Ontario Announces Working Group to Better Focus Conservation Authorities

December 16, 2020

Input will lead to improved conservation and protection of the province’s water, land and natural resources

TORONTO — The Ontario government is creating a working group to help implement changes to conservation authorities. Hassaan Basit, President and CEO of Conservation Halton will chair the new group which will provide input on the development of proposed regulations under the Conservation Authorities Act, and on how conservation authorities are governed.

"As we move forward together, we want to build stronger relationships with conservation authorities so we can work together to ensure consistent best practices, good governance and appropriate accountability to best serve the people of Ontario," said Jeff Yurek, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. "I'd like to thank Hassaan Basit for the discussions over the last few weeks which helped inform some recent amendments to the legislative changes to ensure conservation authorities have the tools they need to protect their communities. I look forward to continuing our positive and constructive dialogue towards our shared goals."

As part of the government's commitment to ensuring conservation authorities focus and deliver on their core mandate of protecting people and property from flooding and other natural hazards and conserving natural resources, the province introduced legislative changes through Bill 229, Protect, Support and Recover from COVID-19 Act, 2020, which received Royal Assent on December 8, 2020. Amendments were made to the Bill based on valuable feedback from stakeholder groups, including conservation authorities.

The new working group will include representatives from conservation authorities and other experts. Representatives of the working group will be announced in the coming weeks.

Once they begin work in January, the working group will provide input to help the province develop regulations that will focus on:

• The mandatory core programs and services conservation authorities would be required to provide,
• The agreements between municipalities and conservation authorities and the transition period associated with non-mandatory programs and services, and
• How local members of the community can participate in their conservation authorities through community advisory boards.

"Partnerships and collaboration are critical to ensure that conservation authorities can continue making watershed-based resource management decisions in the interest of the environment, health, and safety," said Hassaan Basit, President and CEO, Conservation Halton. "Alongside conservation authorities across Ontario, Conservation Halton is looking forward to working with the province, offering scientific expertise and leadership, in the development of regulations pertaining to recent amendments to the Conservation Authorities Act contained in Bill 229."

In addition to the input provided by Hassaan Basit and the working group, Ontario will also be seeking the public's feedback on regulatory and governance proposals through the Environmental Registry. Public consultation on these proposals is also expected to begin early in the new year.

QUICK FACTS

• The Protect, Support and Recover from COVID-19 Act, 2020 included amendments to the Conservation Authorities Act such as:
  • Enabling officers appointed by conservation authorities to issue stop work orders, defined in a way that is consistent with entry powers without warrants. This will help ensure conservation authorities have effective enforcement tools in place to stop significant threats and impacts to the environment.
  • Requiring 70 per cent of members appointed to a conservation authority by a participating municipality be members of council, as well as allowing the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks to provide an exception from this rule at the request of a municipality.
  • Allowing conservation authorities to appeal or be party to an appeal as a public body, under certain provisions of the Planning Act in the context of prescribed natural hazards matters.
• Ontario is served by 36 conservation authorities.
• The Ontario government recently announced a $30 million investment in a new Wetlands Conservation Partner Program to help conservation organizations create and restore wetlands in priority areas across the province.