The Snapping Turtle is a special concern species under Ontario’s Endangered Species Act. A management plan will be prepared. The Snapping Turtle has also been assessed nationally as a special concern species by the federal Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). Status: special concern provincially and designated special concern federally.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Appeal court decision affirms protection for killer whales
— filed under: Killer Whales
Environmental groups celebrate victory after federal government ordered to pay costs of failed appeal
Feb 09, 2012 04:14 PM
VANCOUVER – The federal Court of Appeal has upheld a precedent-setting ruling that confirmed the federal government is legally bound to protect killer whale habitat, according to a judgment released today.
In its judgment, the Court of Appeal unanimously dismissed nearly all aspects of the federal government’s appeal and ordered the government to pay the associated costs. This means that essentially all of the original ruling, which found that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) had failed to legally protect killer whale critical habitat, has been upheld.
“Ecojustice and our clients are very pleased with the Court of Appeal’s decision,” said Margot Venton, staff lawyer at Ecojustice. “In upholding the original ruling, the Court of Appeal has confirmed that it’s time to get on with the business of actually protecting these killer whales.”
Ecojustice, representing a coalition of nine environmental groups, successfully argued in Federal Court last year that DFO had not met its legal obligation to protect killer whales. The court ruled that the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans must legally protect all aspects of killer whale critical habitat — including their food supply and the quality of their marine environment. Read more →