MNR is responsible for providing information for its provincial interests to planning authorities such as municipalities, as well as MMAH and other ministries carrying out provincial planning. This information could cover 1) the location of features such as provincially significant wetlands; 2) ecological functions, habitat requirements and environmental sensitivities of features, areas or species; 3) the importance of resources such as mineral aggregates; or 4) technical matters, such as criteria for flood plain management. The following information resource sources can be used to support implementation of PPS policies:
- local MNR district planners should be contacted for assistance and guidance on the proper use of MNR’s data for municipal land use planning purposes
- while MNR strives to ensure that data accessible through its online sources, Land Information Ontario (LIO) and the Natural Heritage Information Centre (NHIC), is current, planning authorities should contact their local MNR district office to determine if more up-to-date information is available (see below for further discussion)
- LIO is a Government of Ontario initiative led by MNR that manages geospatial data for use in maps and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) using a variety of online tools and services.
- LIO supports the province-wide sharing of geospatial data through a web-accessible centralized data warehouse that contains more than 250 different layers of geographic data and is the primary method for the dissemination of MNR geospatial data
Natural Heritage Information Centre
- NHIC, supported by MNR, acquires, maintains, updates, and distributes data on the province's rare species (e.g., significant habitat of endangered and threatened species and significant wildlife habitat below), vegetation communities and natural areas.
- NHIC supports the province-wide sharing of general geospatial data for the province's rare species, vegetation communities and natural areas through a centralized data warehouse and web-based mapping application
- detailed information on rare species is considered sensitive and is only shared on a need-to-know basis as part of a land use planning process
- for information on how to access sensitive rare species data, contact your local MNR district office
