(Today’s Northumberland file photo)
Historic conservation agreement will protect nearly 48,000 acres of natural greenspace for residents and visitors to enjoy
The Governments of Ontario and Canada are celebrating the completion of a three-year, $10-million agreement that has permanently protected nearly 48,000 acres of forests, wetlands and ecologically sensitive areas across Ontario. Through this agreement, the Government of Ontario has created 12 new provincial parks and conservation reserves, and expanded 50 more, while opening new public access to hiking trails and green spaces for people across the province.
“By working together, Ontario and Canada have permanently protected a combined area that is nearly twice the size of the City of Guelph,” said Todd McCarthy, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. “By creating more parks and strengthening trail connections, including links to iconic routes like the Bruce Trail, we are helping more people experience Ontario’s natural landscapes while protecting biodiversity, supporting local tourism and ensuring people can enjoy these spaces for generations to come.”
This milestone marks the completion of a joint federal-provincial commitment announced in 2024 to accelerate the expansion of Ontario’s protected areas system and conserve more of the province’s natural landscapes.
“Our government is committed to protecting the nature that Canadians rely on, and this partnership shows that commitment is delivering,” said The Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature. “Over three years, we helped Ontario protect tens of thousands of acres of forests and wetlands and open up more of the outdoors for families while putting in place faster ways to safeguard land. This is exactly the kind of progress A Force of Nature—our strategy to protect nature—is built to accelerate as we work to protect 30% of Canada’s lands and waters by 2030.”
The agreement is also expanding opportunities for people to experience Ontario’s world-class natural destinations by improving the protection of existing trails and creating stronger links to established routes, including the Bruce Trail. At Emily Provincial Park in the City of Kawartha Lakes, a recent 72-acre (30-hectare) addition has expanded protection along the provincially significant Trent-Severn Waterway. This addition safeguards biologically significant shoreline marshes, wet woodlands and portions of the Pigeon River.
Other notable protected area expansions include:
- Hockley Valley Provincial Park, where an additional 314 acres (127 hectares) of the Niagara Escarpment have been protected, including segments of the Bruce Trail and two provincially significant Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest.
- Ivanhoe River Clay Plain Conservation Reserve, where an additional 7,139 acres (2,889 hectares) have been protected, including pockets of old-growth forest and a section of a free-flowing river.
- Bass Lake Provincial Park, where recent expansions have helped bring additional lands under protection while creating more opportunities for residents and visitors to enjoy nearby trails and natural spaces. The additions include the waterfront on Bass Lake, protecting a provincially significant swamp-marsh wetland complex and offering increased opportunities for bird-watching.
These efforts build on longstanding initiatives to protect Ontario’s natural heritage through Ontario’s Living Legacy Land Use Strategy. Ontario continues to engage with the federal government, Indigenous communities, stakeholders and other partners on future opportunities to build on this success to deliver on its plan to expand protected areas, strengthen local tourism and ensure families can enjoy Ontario’s natural heritage for generations to come.
Quick Facts
- Through the Global Biodiversity Framework, the Government of Canada has committed to conserving 30 percent of land and water in Canada by 2030.
- In March 2026, the Government of Canada announced A Force of Nature: Canada’s Strategy to Protect Nature. This $3.8 billion investment will help advance nature conservation and economic growth by working with provinces, territories, Indigenous governments, industry, and private landowners to protect 30 percent of lands and waters by 2030 and halt and reverse biodiversity loss.
- Since 2020, Ontario has invested $60 million to protect close to 639,000 acres (over 258,500 hectares) through the Greenlands Conservation Partnership. This is the single largest provincial fund to secure private land in Ontario.
- Ontario has 344 provincial parks that protect approximately 20 million acres (8.3 million hectares) and 306 conservation reserves that comprise almost 4 million acres (1.5 million hectares) regulated under the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act. This totals over 24 million acres (9.8 million hectares) of land and water across the province.
- Ontario’s system of protected and conserved areas covers nearly 30 million acres (more than 12.1 million hectares), which is more than three times bigger than Vancouver Island.
- Ontario recently reported over 682,000 acres (276,000 hectares) of provincially managed protected and conserved areas to the Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), representing the province’s largest annual reporting contribution since the database was launched in 2018.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
