COSEWIC assessments acknowledged for 17 species

Summary#

This is an order that formally acknowledges receipt of wildlife-status assessments from COSEWIC under subsection 23(1) of the Species at Risk Act. It covers 17 species and starts the next step toward possible changes to Canada’s official list of species at risk. The item was published on May 25, 2022.

What it does#

• Acknowledges receipt of 17 assessments by COSEWIC under subsection 23(1) of the Species at Risk Act.
• The assessments include:
  • Proposed additions of 12 species to Schedule 1 (examples): Smoker’s Lung Lichen, Harris’s Sparrow, Striped Whitelip snail, two populations of Mottled Duskywing butterfly, Nine-spotted Lady Beetle, Oregon Branded Skipper, Nuttall’s Sheep Moth, and several false foxglove plants and the Silky Beach Pea.
  • Proposed reclassification of 4 species already on the list (examples): Common Nighthawk and Olive-sided Flycatcher moved from Threatened to Special Concern; Blue Ash and the Western Yellow-bellied Racer moved from Special Concern to Threatened.
  • Proposed removal of 1 species from the list: Peregrine Falcon (anatum/tundrius) proposed as Not at Risk.
• The Minister of the Environment will publish a separate proposed “Listing Order” (with a Regulatory Impact Assessment Statement) in the Canada Gazette, Part I and open a public comment period of 30 days.
• If the Governor in Council does not make a decision within nine months, the Minister may be required to amend the list in line with COSEWIC’s recommendations for those species (the nine-month rule does not apply to reclassifications).

Who's affected#

• Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Minister of the Environment, who manage the next steps.
• Federal decision-makers (the Governor in Council) who will accept, reject, or ask for more information.
• People and groups at or near the habitats of the named species: landowners, developers, farmers, resource industries, park managers, local and Indigenous communities.
• Conservation groups, researchers, and the public who follow or work on species recovery.
• It is not yet law — these are assessments and a recommendation. The practical effects depend on the later Listing Order and final government decisions.

Why it matters#

• Being added to, removed from, or reclassified on the official list can lead to legal protections, recovery plans, or changes in how land can be used where those species live.
• This order starts the formal government process that could change protections for species and their habitats across parts of Canada.
• There will be a 30-day public comment period on the proposed Listing Order. Earlier consultations (2013–2019) generated 164 comments: 76 supportive, 43 not opposed, 15 not supportive. Those responses will be summarized in the Regulatory Impact Assessment Statement.