A Citizens' Toolkit for Nature Conservation

Conservation Committees and Non-Government Organizations

Environmental Advisory Committees

There are more than 30 municipal Environmental Advisory Committees (EACs) in Ontario, with new EACs forming all the time. EACs are volunteer committees comprised of local citizens chosen by the municipal council for their environmental expertise and community experience. The mandates of different EACs across the province vary. Some committees confine themselves to advising the municipal council on environmental aspects of land use planning, whereas some deal as well with other environmental issues of local interest and importance, such as environmental education, development of tree conservation or pesticide bylaws, etc.

www.ontarionature.org/enviroandcons/community_cons/eac.html

Environmental law organizations

For advice or assistance on specific legal issues, there are three environmental law organizations that you can contact: Sierra Legal Defence Fund, Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA) and Environmental Defence Canada (formerly Canadian Environmental Defence Fund). These groups need to be strategic in selecting cases to pursue, preferring possibly precedent-setting cases. You or your group might need to meet specific criteria to be eligible for assistance. If you wish to contact one of these groups, the best place to start is often with one of their articling law students. Contact information is available on each website.

Sierra Legal Defence Fund: www.sierralegal.org
Canadian Environmental Law Association: www.cela.ca
Environmental Defence Canada: www.environmentaldefence.ca

The Ontario Nature Network of member clubs

If you’re interested in joining a nature group in your community, this is the place to look. Read about natural history and nature groups in your region of Ontario. We also have links to member groups’ web pages. The Ontario Nature Network currently includes 130 member groups.

www.ontarionature.org/network/index.html

Ontario Smart Growth Network

The Ontario Smart Growth Network brings together organizations that are working to stop urban sprawl and promote sustainable, compact and healthy communities across Ontario.

www.greenontario.org/smartgrowth/osgn.html