Ontario's Boreal Forest

A sample email to your MPP

DATE

Dear [insert MPP name],

I am happy to live in a province that contains some of the last remaining intact forests in the world. Ontario’s Boreal Forest provides habitat for sensitive species such as Woodland Caribou and Wolverine and billions of songbirds. This ancient forest also provides benefits to the people of Ontario by storing large amounts of carbon. I urge your government to take advantage of the tremendous conservation opportunity to protect this special place by planning for protected areas before further development is permitted in the northern Boreal region.

Premier McGuinty made an election promise that has not yet been kept. He promised that planning to protect sensitive portions of Ontario’s northern Boreal forest would occur before any development permits were granted. Already, new mining has been approved and forestry plans are underway, but still the needs of sensitive Boreal Forest species, like Woodland Caribou and migrating songbirds, have not been addressed. Continuing to allow development in the northern Boreal region without land use planning is unacceptable.

Development in southern Ontario follows the policies laid out in the Planning Act. The Ontario government needs to implement a planning act for the northern Boreal region that creates new protected areas and takes away the priority of mining over every other activity. Planning for conservation in the northern Boreal region will help ensure we continue to receive the benefits the Boreal Forest provides, such as carbon storage, and this must come before permits are given to industry.

I am concerned that the Woodland Caribou population appears to be decreasing when there is a chance to protect the habitat of this threatened species. I urge the Ontario government to set aside a minimum of 1 million hectares of intact habitat for Woodland Caribou in the southern Boreal region. It is unacceptable to not meet the needs of an iconic Boreal Forest species such as Woodland Caribou.

Please encourage the Premier to keep his promise. Your action now will ensure the preservation of Ontario’s Boreal Forest and will leave a lasting global legacy.

Sincerely,

Your name and address