Proposed Changes to Protected Habitat Lands under Fire by Wildlife Groups
Wildlife lands in Saskatchewan are currently protected in Legislation but that’s about to change and a lot of people who care about critical habitat are not happy with this.
The Saskatchewan Party government has introduced Bill 132 (An Act to Amend Wildlife Habitat Protection – Land Designation - Amendment Act 2009) and it is currently before the Legislature. It was introduced March 8 by Environment Minister Nancy Heppner.
Despite the fact that Heppner said “the government recognizes the need to ensure that areas of ecological value are protected” the amending legislation proposes to remove the designation of protected land from the Legislation itself, and instead to put this designation into the regulations.
Although that doesn’t sound so bad on the surface, groups like the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, and Ducks Unlimited, have rightly expressed significant concerns.
Currently, if protected lands are to be deregistered (for any reason) the Legislation has to be amended but if Bill 132 passes these lands can be deregistered simply by a change in the regulations.
For those who know the process, amending legislation is a highly visible, deliberate public process that requires public consultation, three readings in the Legislature, a committee hearing, and Royal Assent. It’s a process that was designed to allow for deregistration but only after proper, adequate, public scrutiny.
On the other hand, a change in regulations requires only a decision of the cabinet taken at meeting behind closed doors. There does not have to be public consultation, public debate, public scrutiny, or even public notice before a change takes place.
With lands designated through legislation (the current practice), any request to remove lands would require a public explanation of why the lands should be deregistered. The SaskParty’s change to regulations would require criteria for deregistration to be put in place, but so far there is no indication of what that criteria might entail, or even that there is any thought yet about what that criteria should be.
Protected lands are moving from a public commitment to a private action and that’s not acceptable in a society that respects and values the public designation of lands for the protection of wildlife and habitat.
To make matters worse, in her short speech to the Legislature Minister Heppner said the change “has been developed in consultation with a wide variety of stakeholders,” and she specifically mentions the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, the Nature Conservancy of Canada, and Ducks Unlimited.
The problem is that none of these groups say there were properly consulted and in no way support the changes being proposed. In fact they are even more outspoken in that they say they oppose, unconditionally, the changes in the designation process proposed by the SaskParty in Bill 132.
In a petition currently circulating in wildlife circles, wildlife advocates are calling for the immediate withdrawal of these amendments saying they will endanger the protection and designation of habitat lands.
Bill 132 makes it easier to take protected status away from habitat lands. It makes the process less transparent. It leads to less consultation. And, it leaves greater room for less scrutiny.
When the SaskParty says they consulted and in fact they didn’t you wonder if you can trust them. Now the SaskParty is saying, pass this legislation and trust us to protect these lands, you wonder even more. Without a legislative oversight the future of protected lands in Saskatchewan is uncertain. Let’s take the advice of the experts in habitat preservation and leave the designation in the hands of the Legislature.
