shape. In the second year, the plant will grow a long stalk that can reach up to one metre in height, and will have small white flowers with four petals. The leaves are dark green and will smell strongly of garlic when you crush them.
Disclaimer: Do not consume any wild plant unless you are 100% sure of its identification. Be sure you are picking from non-polluted areas, away from roads, and where no pesticides or other contaminants may have been used. Consult your doctor before consuming wild plants.
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2. What are Invasive Species? This concept may be new to you, but it already dominates your environment. Invasive species are defined by the Government of Canada as “harmful alien species whose introduction or spread threatens the environment, the economy, or society, including human health”. This introduction may be on purpose, such as bringing in an ornamental plant, or by accident, such as through ballast water. My hope is to increase knowledge and awareness about invasive species, as well as share best management practices. In the photo from the upper left going clockwise is Dog-Strangling Vine, Phragmites, Japanese Knotweed, and Garlic Mustard. Do you recognize any of them? To learn more about Invasive Species in Ontario, check this out: www.invadingspecies.com Disclaimer: Do not consume any wild plant unless you are 100% sure of its identification. Be sure you are picking from non-polluted areas, away from roads, and where no pesticides or other contaminants may have been used. Consult your doctor before consuming wild plants.
I started foraging a few years ago. It started with seeking out elusive and expensive things like morels and ramps, but over time, I came to the realization that I didn't have to travel deep into the woods. I could forage in my own yard. It's always an adventure, and there is something so human about foraging and eating the food you have picked yourself. So many of us are disconnected from the products we buy, consuming things that come from halfway across the world, harvested by people we will never meet...makes you think.
Foraging can be fun, educational, and sustainable if done properly. Here are some basic rules before you start.
Discussing how to protect the environment and which level of government to hold accountable is a complicated thing. This article attempts to clarify the jurisdictional mess of environmental policy in Canada.
within their boarders.[i] In some cases, cooperation with Indigenous governments is required under Section 35 of the Constitution Act (1982), which protects existing Aboriginal and treaty rights.[ii] By law, federal and provincial governments are required to consult with Indigenous communities if their rights are potentially affected by decisions (referred to as ‘the duty of consult’). Some Indigenous groups have negotiated (in treaties) the right to self-government and the power to make laws. Therefore, environmental responsibilities of one government may also be shared with Indigenous governments on a regional level. Shared Responsibilities However, the protection of the environment isn’t actually mentioned in the Constitution. Instead, jurisdiction over environmental matters is understood as a shared responsibility between federal and provincial/territorial governments, which can really complicate efforts to protect and restore wildlife across the country. An example is the protection of migratory birds. The federal government has signed on to international agreements for their protection by establishing sanctuaries along migratory paths. However, it is up to the provinces to enact regulations on the hunting of those birds within their boarders. The federal government is also responsible for fish and inland waters but provinces that own public lands with water features (e.g. lakes, rivers, bogs, etc.) have jurisdiction over the wildlife and habitats within those lands. In essence, the federal government may have jurisdiction over broad, trans-boundary issues, but the provinces can enact laws in these areas if they are of a ‘local matter’.
natural resources and wildlife habitat may be viewed as competing with regional goals. Successful efforts to protect Canada’s environment are deeply rooted in a willing and cooperative effort among all governments.
Endnotes [i] 56% of publicly owned lands across Canada are owned by the provinces/territories. The federal government owns about 44% - 11% of which is located outside the three territories - demonstrating how small the federal government’s jurisdiction is over land conservation across the country. [ii] ‘Existing’ refers to those rights that were not formally erased by colonial governments.
Most Canadian provinces share the responsibility of managing and protecting their natural resources between the provincial and municipal governments. But Ontario has established regional conservation authorities to deliver such programs and services in cooperation with the two levels of government. This includes the management of outdoor recreational activities like skiing, hiking, and canoeing, the designation and management of protected areas, and the issuing of development permits within their boundaries. The boundary of each conservation authority is determined by the watershed it sits on. To clarify, a watershed is an area of land that channels water into a common water body such as a lake, river, stream, or marsh. The reason behind this watershed approach is that it should provide meaningful insight into how the actions in one area may affect downstream communities across several municipal boundaries. Their Board of Directors are mostly made up of elected municipal officials who are to act in the best interest of their respective municipality rather than the watershed as a whole. This is further complicated when the priorities of the conservation authority conflict with those of a municipality. For example, a municipality’s main source of revenue comes from property taxes. Therefore, a conflict of interest arises when the issue of economic development and conservation is discussed.
Recent Changes to Conservation Authorities Despite their name, conservation authorities are limited in their ability to conserve Ontario’s natural resources because of the way they’re staffed as well as limitations on their powers under the Conservation Authorities Act. For example, if a development project is proposed, the conservation authority can submit comments to the municipal government which can be either accepted or rejected. The Ford government has also made recent changes to the Act that further limit the decision-making power of conservation authorities while increasing the power of the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks to override their decisions.[i] What Do We Do About It? It would be easy to dismiss conservation authorities as problematic institutions, weighed down by politics and bureaucracy and one that should be scrapped. Besides, other provinces seem to be doing fine without them, right? However, a study I conducted in 2020 found that most people liked the idea of conservation authorities but were concerned about provincial and municipal politics influencing decision-making. Many people felt that elected officials were using their position on the Board of Directors of conservation authorities to help development projects past ‘red tape’, aka environmental impact studies.[ii] So, maybe the best way to protect our natural resources isn’t to scrap conservation authorities but rather to reform them away from influences of the government of the day. References [i] Bill 229, Protect, Support and Recover from COVID-19 Act (Budget Measures), 2020, Schedule 6 https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-42/session-1/bill-229. [ii] Darlene Coyle (2020). Wetland Management in Ontario: A Social Multi-Criteria Evaluation of Niagara Falls’ Slough Forests. UWSpace. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/16003. |
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October 2021
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