COSEWIC assessments for 17 species

Summary#

This is the Order Acknowledging Receipt of the Assessments Done Pursuant to Subsection 23(1) of the Act: SI/2021-6. It records that COSEWIC (the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) has sent status assessments under the Species at Risk Act for 17 wildlife groups. The Gazette entry was published on February 17, 2021.

What it does#

• Records that COSEWIC has submitted 17 species assessments to the Minister of the Environment and the Office of the Governor in Council.
• Notes that of those 17 assessments:
  • 11 are new assessments,
  • 5 are reclassifications of species already on the federal list, and
  • 1 is a recommendation to remove a species from the list.
• Gives examples of changes reported by COSEWIC, including:
  • the Blanding’s Turtle (Great Lakes / St. Lawrence population) moved from “Threatened” to “Endangered”,
  • the Western Painted Turtle (Pacific Coast population) moved from “Endangered” to “Threatened”,
  • Caribou (Newfoundland population) added as “Special concern”,
  • the Sonora Skipper recommended for removal (moved to “not at risk”).
• Explains the next administrative steps:
  • The Minister of the Environment will publish a proposed Listing Order and a Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement in Canada Gazette, Part I for a 30-day public comment period.
  • After that, the Minister will make final listing recommendations to the Office of the Governor in Council, which can accept, reject or send the matter back to COSEWIC.
  • If the Office of the Governor in Council does not decide within nine months, the Minister may amend the species list in line with COSEWIC’s recommendations.

Who's affected#

• People and organizations in areas where the listed species live: parts of Newfoundland, Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick (these are the provinces and populations mentioned in the assessments).
• Landowners, developers, resource companies, conservation groups, researchers, and government bodies that manage habitat or land use in those areas.
• Indigenous peoples and communities consulted earlier in the assessment process; the notice says consultations took place at various times between 2016 and 2018 for different species.

Why it matters#

• This Order itself does not change legal protections. It simply starts the next steps toward possible listing under the Species at Risk Act.
• If some species are later added or reclassified on the federal list, that can lead to recovery planning and restrictions around activities that harm the species or their habitat. That can affect local land use, development permits, and conservation work.
• There will be a public comment window (the 30-day Part I publication) where citizens and stakeholders can give input before final decisions are made.