Newsroom > Consultation opportunities related to the implementation of the Species Conservation Act, 2025 (SCA)

Consultation opportunities related to the implementation of the Species Conservation Act, 2025 (SCA)

The following information has been provided to the OPFA by the Ministry of Natural Resources. We encourage all OPFA registrants to review the proposed changes and submit any feedback or comments through the Environmental Registry of Ontario or to ESAReg@ontario.ca by the deadline, which is November 10, 2025.

There are currently consultation opportunities related to the implementation of the Species Conservation Act, 2025 (SCA) that was enacted as part of the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025 (Bill 5), which received Royal Assent on June 5, 2025. The consultation focuses on proposed regulations and guidance materials related to the implementation of the SCA.

For more details on the SCA and related changes to the Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA) made by Bill 5, please see decision notice posting #025-0380 on the Environmental Registry of Ontario.

Two notices of proposals on the Environmental Registry of Ontario are posted to support the implementation of the SCA:

  1. A proposal for new regulations and amendments to existing legislation and regulations.
  2. A proposal related to new guidance materials.

Specifically, the ministry is seeking feedback on the following new proposed regulations under the SCA:

  • Protected Species in Ontario List Regulation: list of species that receive protections under the SCA.
  • Registration Regulation: outlines rules and requirements for those undertaking a registerable activity.
  • Permit Regulation: specifies which activities require a permit and may include any rules and requirements for those activities.
  • Exception Regulation: specifies which activities can proceed without a registration or permit.
  • Transition Regulation: specifies how permits, agreements and other authorizations, registrations, and orders issued under the ESA will transition under the SCA.

The regulatory proposal also summarizes legislative and regulatory amendments required to implement the SCA. These include:

  • amendments to the SCA for clarity and consistency
  • amendments to regulations under the Environmental Bill of Rights Act, 1993
  • administrative amendments to other legislation and regulations to update existing references to the ESA to refer to the SCA

The ministry is also proposing new guidance materials for the SCA. This guidance is intended to help a person understand the potential impacts of a planned activity on species at risk by:

  • providing information to be considered in determining whether a proposed activity is likely to result in the killing or harming of a protected species or damaging or destroying the protected species’ habitat
  • providing clarity on the area of habitat protected for specific groups of protected species

The Environmental Registry of Ontario regulatory proposal notice 025-0909 and policy proposal notice 025-0908, which provides further details of the above-noted changes, are available online at ERO posting 025-0909 and ERO posting 025-0908, respectively. These postings will be open for 45 days and close on November 10, 2025.