There have been no decisions made yet on where any staffing or field office cuts will happen in the Ministry of Natural Resources said Michael Gravelle.
On Tuesday Ontario’s finance minister Dwight Duncan announced cuts to the MNR that would save $11.2 million over the next three years. Those cuts will include jobs and some of the ministry’s field offices.
“There will continue to be a very strong MNR presence in Northern Ontario,” said Gravelle, the minister responsible for the portfolio. “There have been no decisions made on the staffing issues or decisions on the field offices.”
“I know that’s caused some concern to a number of municipal leaders,” he added.
While the ministry has its challenges, Gravelle said they remain committed to maintaining their core priorities and principles in the areas of fish and wildlife, crown land management, parks, protected areas and forestry.
The MNR is responsible for 46 pieces of legislation and more than 300 different kinds of permits and authorizations that require individual approval.
That needs to change, said Gravelle.
“We believe we can do this in a fashion that will make us a more effective, a better-run and a ministry that is more consumer-friendly,” he said. “When one looks at the permit and approval process you won’t have to go very far to find people who will tell you things take too long.”
The budget also proposes changes to the Endangered Species Act. The act would move from a species-by-species based approach to a “big picture eco-management process,” said Gravelle.
Environment commissioner Gord Miller told the Toronto Star any changes to the way wildlife is handled should be a concern.
But Gravelle said Miller has also publicly stated the eco-management approach can be a better way.
“We think it can be done on a better basis while we still are committed to protection of our species,” he said.
The three-year plan to modernize the ministry aims to help in the province’s plan to eliminate the $15 billion deficit. However, Gravelle said none of these proposed changes will happen if the budget doesn’t pass when it’s voted upon in April.
Also announced in the provincial budget was $208 million in cuts to the Northern highway program, but none of those cuts will affect projects that have either started or been announced in the region, including the Nipigon River bridge and the four-laning between Thunder Bay and Nipigon.
Gravelle said he doesn’t know where the cuts will happen but the first thing he looked for was confirmation the four-laning would continue as planned.
“I’m very pleased about the highway funding being intact in terms of Northwestern Ontario,” he said.
