MNR plays an important role in advising, supporting and promoting the protection of Ontario’s biodiversity and natural heritage through municipal land use planning.
Provincial Policy Statement Technical Guidance
As part of this role, MNR has issued guidance material for natural heritage policies of the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) to assist planning authorities and other participants in the land use planning system. The following material should be consulted when implementing natural heritage polices of the PPS:
Natural Heritage Reference Manual
- provides technical guidance for implementing the natural heritage policies of the Provincial Policy Statement, 2005
- represents the Province’s recommended technical criteria and approaches for being consistent with the PPS in protecting natural heritage features and areas and natural heritage systems in Ontario
- reference tool for municipalities, planning boards and other approval authorities
- Landowners, developers, conservation authorities, commissions, environmental agencies, community-based organizations, non-governmental organizations and the public also play important roles in planning and will want to consult the manual when seeking to implement PPS natural heritage policies
Significant Wildlife Habitat Technical Guide
- supports the Natural Heritage Reference Manual as a more detailed technical manual that provides information on the identification, description and prioritisation of significant wildlife habitat
- guide was produced as a supplement to the 1999 version of the Natural Heritage Reference Manual but is still relevant for ecologists, biologists, environmental planners, and others involved in assessing wildlife habitat significance
- planning authorities should use or require proponents to use the guide when completing an ecological site assessment for significant wildlife habitat
Provincial Policy Statement - Additional Supporting Documents
In addition to technical guidance for natural heritage policies of the PPS, MNR has developed other relevant provincial land use planning documents that contain policy, implementation direction or other supporting guidance that may be needed for applying PPS natural heritage policies.
Ecological Land Classification Primer
- the PPS uses the Ecological Land Classification system to define geographic limits of certain natural heritage policies
- the primer is intended to help individuals understand how MNR defines natural regions based on ecological factors and how the system is applied in the land use planning process
Inland Ontario Lakes Designated for Lake Trout Management (PDF, 622 KB)
- lists inland Ontario lakes (exclusive of the Great Lakes) that are currently designated for lake trout management for the purposes of applying PPS fish habitat policy
- provides draft guidance on evaluating the impacts of shoreline development on the water quality of inland lakes on the Precambrian Shield which is used for purposes of applying PPS fish habitat and water policies
- series of technical papers to assist approval authorities, applicants, landowners, interested stakeholder groups and others in the implementation of the policies and application of some of the ecological and hydrological technical requirements
- papers include the identification of Key Natural Heritage Features, contained in various sections of the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan
- papers were developed by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, in conjunction with the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Natural Resources
- assists municipalities and others with the implementation of the natural heritage policies in the Greenbelt Plan
- intended to be used to identify and protect key natural heritage features (except significant wildlife habitat) that exist within the Natural Heritage System of the Protected Countryside
- the technical papers was developed by the Ministry of Natural Resources
