ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE, ECOJUSTICE, ONTARIO NATURE
Toronto | Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – A formal petition has been filed by Ecojustice, on behalf of Environmental Defence and Ontario Nature, requesting that the Honourable Julie Dabrusin – the federal Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Nature – recommend to the federal cabinet the issuance of an Emergency Order to protect Piping Plover habitat at Wasaga Beach. This is Ontario’s most critical nesting site for the endangered, migratory shorebird.
The petition calls for urgent action under the federal Species at Risk Act to protect critical habitat at Wasaga Beach from destructive, mechanical beach raking planned for this spring by the Town of Wasaga Beach. This, the world’s longest freshwater beach, has produced 70 percent of all Ontario-fledged Piping Plovers that survived to adulthood since the shorebird returned to the province in 2007. Without immediate federal intervention, the species faces imminent threats to its survival and recovery in Ontario.
Recent legislative changes by the Ontario government have stripped away critical protections for this Piping Plover habitat. On June 5, 2025, Ontario amended its Endangered Species Act to redefine “habitat” in a way that excludes beaches from protection once migratory birds like Piping Plovers depart for winter and before they return in spring and severely limits protection even while birds are present. Piping Plovers exhibit high site fidelity and rely on key habitat features like dunes, woody debris and native vegetation for their survival. Removing natural materials and mechanically ranking the beach, even before the birds return, will destroy key habitat and likely cause the birds to abandon their nesting area, interrupt courtship activities, and make them more susceptible to predators. On November 27, 2025, the provincial government further amended the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act to remove portions of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park from protection, including areas identified as critical habitat for the Piping Plover.
These rollbacks in legal protection have opened the door to immediate threats, which could spell disaster for the broader population of Plovers. The Town of Wasaga Beach has already purchased mechanical raking equipment and raked Allenwood Beach, another area that lost protection in 2025. The Town has also announced “Destination Wasaga”, a plan for commercial development, where planned mechanical beach clearing and construction would occur on, and adjacent to, Piping Plover nesting sites.
Previous research and legal decisions have confirmed that mechanical beach raking destroys the natural beach debris that Piping Plovers depend on for all life processes, including nesting, foraging and hiding from predators. Evidence from other Ontario nesting sites shows that after mechanical raking occurred, Piping Plovers failed to return from migration in subsequent years. With only three other active breeding locations remaining in Ontario in 2025, the loss of Wasaga Beach habitat would be catastrophic for the species. Wasaga Beach is, and can continue to be, both a thriving home for endangered piping plovers and a world-class tourism destination.
The petition requests the issuance of an Emergency Order by the federal cabinet that protects, at minimum, all critical habitat at Wasaga Beach from mechanical raking and development. This must be issued by March 1, 2026. Failure of the Minister to act may lead to legal action by the groups.
Quotes
Tim Gray, Executive Director, Environmental Defence said:
“Only the immediate action of the federal government stands between the loss or survival of the endangered Piping Plovers of Wasaga Beach. It is very rare to see such a clear, immediate and extreme threat to the survival and recovery of an endangered species in Canada. The time for action is now”.
Kegan Pepper-Smith, lawyer, Ecojustice said:
“The emergency order tool under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) was specifically designed for these types of urgent situations where a species is facing imminent threats to its survival or recovery.
“The Minister must uphold her responsibility to recommend Cabinet issue an emergency order to stop the Town of Wasaga Beach from destroying Ontario’s most important nesting sites for the Piping Plover. And the Minister must act quickly; neither unreasonable delay nor inaction is permissible under SARA.”
Tony Morris, Conservation Policy and Campaigns Director, Ontario Nature said:
“Wasaga Beach is Ontario’s most critical nesting site for the endangered piping plover, and it cannot afford further disturbance,” said Tony Morris, Conservation Policy and Campaigns Director at Ontario Nature. “The Government of Ontario has made it clear migratory birds are a federal responsibility, so it is imperative the federal Minister act now to protect this unique species and globally rare habitat.”
ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca) : Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.
ABOUT ECOJUSTICE (ecojustice.ca) : Ecojustice uses the power of the law to defend nature, combat climate change and fight for a healthy environment. Its strategic, public interest lawsuits and advocacy lead to precedent-setting court decisions, law and policy that deliver lasting solutions to Canada’s most urgent environmental problems. As Canada’s largest environmental law charity, Ecojustice operates offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax.
ABOUT ONTARIO NATURE (ontarionature.org) : Ontario Nature protects wild species and wild spaces through conservation, education and public engagement. A charitable organization, Ontario Nature represents 9,500 members, 130,000 supporters and 150 member groups from across Ontario.
-30-
For more information or to request an interview, please contact:
Karishma Porwal, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca
Shayoni Mehta, Ecojustice Canada,smehta@ecojustice.ca
Melina Damián, Ontario Nature, melinad@ontarionature.org
