Eastern Wolf Up‑listed to Threatened

Summary#

The Order Amending Schedule 1 to the Species at Risk Act up‑lists the Eastern Wolf (Canis sp. cf. lycaon) from a status of special concern to threatened on Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act. The Order was registered and came into force on June 17, 2024.

What it does#

• Adds Wolf, Eastern (Canis sp. cf. lycaon) to Part 3 (listed as threatened) of Schedule 1 to the Species at Risk Act.
• Removes the previous entry Wolf, Eastern (Canis lupus lycaon) from Part 4 (special concern).
• Triggers the federal protections that apply to species listed as threatened on federal lands (for example, prohibitions on killing or damaging animals or their dens on federal land).
• Starts the process for the federal government to prepare a recovery strategy and action plan for the species (the recovery strategy must be posted within two years after listing).

Who's affected#

• First Nations whose reserves lie inside the Eastern Wolf’s range — the Order may restrict canid trapping on those reserves and require changes to how some trappers work. The Eastern Wolf’s range intersects about 14 reserves (roughly 11 in Ontario and 3 in Quebec).
• Federal land managers and agencies that administer lands in the species’ range, for example Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (and its contractor Canadian Nuclear Laboratories), the Department of National Defence, Parks Canada, Transport Canada, and the National Capital Commission — they may need permits, monitoring, or changes to planned activities on federal land.
• Hunters and non‑Indigenous trappers near protected federal lands may notice indirect effects, though the Order’s immediate legal prohibitions apply to federal lands only.
• Researchers, conservation groups, and communities interested in or working on wolf conservation — listing can open funding and recovery work.

Why it matters#

• The Eastern Wolf in Canada is small and restricted in range: likely fewer than 1,000 mature individuals, with a conservative minimum estimate of 236 mature individuals. Listing as threatened aims to reduce risks to the species’ survival and support its recovery.
• For people living and working in the area, the most immediate effect is on trapping practices on federal lands and on some First Nation reserves — the government’s analysis estimates overall incremental costs to society of about $900,000 to $2.4 million over 10 years, with estimated potential commercial trapping losses to First Nations up to $1.2 million in a high‑cost scenario (other scenarios estimate much lower impacts).
• Listing launches recovery planning, more research and public education, and could later lead to formal protection of critical habitat. If critical habitat on non‑federal land is judged not to be protected adequately, further federal measures could be considered — that is possible but not automatic.