On the first day Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) were back in fall session after an extended 137-day break, Ontario Nature hosted its inaugural Nature at Queen’s Park. This event was an opportunity for Ontario Nature, its Nature Network and partners to raise the profile of nature conservation amongst provincial decision-makers at the Legislation Assembly of Ontario, more commonly referred to as Queen’s Park.
Ontario Nature staff and partner attendees met with MPPs throughout the day and hosted an evening reception to engage decision-makers on:
protecting more of our lands and waters
strengthening protections for species at risk
protecting and restoring our wetlands
The event also provided an opportunity to discuss the need for a commitment to implement and fund the Ontario Biodiversity Strategy.
Remarks during inaugural Nature at Queen’s Park
In total, over 20 MPPs and their staffers attended the event or provided meetings earlier in the day, representing all political parties. A big thank you to our Nature Network groups, partners and Youth Council representative that attended to voice how important nature is to the well-being and future prosperity of Ontario:
Algonquin to Adirondacks Collaborative
Bert Miller Nature Club
Canada South Land Trust
Carolinian Canada
Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Association
FLAP Canada
Friends of Ojibway Prairie
Friends of Stittsville Wetlands
Grand River Environmental Network
Haldimand Stewardship Council
Legal Advocates for Nature’s Defence (LAND)
Nature Canada
Nature London
North Durham Nature
Ontario Eastern Bluebird Society
South Lake Simcoe Naturalists
Toronto Ornithological Club
Thunder Bay Field Naturalists
Events like this, sometimes referred to as lobby days, are essential for raising priorities and issues with MPPs that juggle multiple competing priorities and hear from numerous people daily. These provincial representatives decide the laws and policies that protect our wild species and wild spaces, as well as where provincial dollars are allocated. By meeting face to face and advocating for our collective priorities, we successfully put nature on their radar.
We hope to make this an annual event that grows each year to show the reach of our network and the number of residents of Ontario that want nature protected and restored. The future of Ontario is tied to our natural legacy, and the more our provincial decision-makers here from Ontario Nature, the Nature Network, the Youth Council, and members and supporters, the more powerful our voice will be.
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