To view the entire Environmental Commissioner’s 2010/2011 Annual Report, Engaging Solutions, visit www.eco.on.ca.

The Measuring Success on the Oak Ridges Moraine reports are available on the Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation’s website: www.ormf.com.

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For more information contact: Kim Gavine, Executive Director, Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation
905-833-5733 ext. 22 or (cell) 416-505-5405

The Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation (ORMF) is a non-profit organization mandated to preserve and enhance the Oak Ridges Moraine (Moraine). Originally established as a granting agency in 2002 following the implementation of the Provincial Government’s Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (ORMCP), the ORMF has successfully provided funds to many different partners in support of stewardship, education, research, the Oak Ridges Moraine Trail and land securement projects.

While the ORMF’s granting role is currently suspended, it still has a pivotal role to play if the Moraine is to remain protected in the future. While plenty of positive work has been done on the Moraine over the last eight years, there are still outstanding goals that need to be met.

(Toronto, September 15, 2011) Today, in keeping with its commitment to voicing Moraine issues, the Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation (ORMF) released its timely and important Measuring Success on the Oak Ridges Moraine reports.

Measuring Success was released today at a Sustainability Network Breakfast featuring David Miller, former Mayor of Toronto.  Mr. Miller’s attendance is fitting given the important role the City of Toronto played advocating for the province to protect the Moraine – the City’s headwaters – 10 years ago when the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (ORMCP) was passed.

Started in 2010, ORMF’s Measuring Success project assesses how effective the provincial government, the ORMF and all other Moraine partners have been in reaching the ORMCP’s original expectations and targets.

“Measuring Success reveals the Province has not met all of its obligations and much work remains to ensure that the objectives of the ORMCP are met,” said Kim Gavine, Executive Director of the ORMF. “The ORMF’s stakeholder relationships, proven ability to effectively manage provincial funds and deep understanding of Moraine environmental issues make the ORMF best positioned to assist the Province in addressing many of the key concerns and meeting the ORMCP’s goals.”

Measuring Success tells a story of a Moraine that is holding its own in terms of its environmental health.  However, “red flags” have been identified (see backgrounder).

The identification of significant concerns through the Measuring Success project pushed the ORMF to submit an official request to the Environmental Commissioner’s Office to have the ORMCP reviewed under section 61 of the Environmental Bill of Rights.

The request to the Commissioner contends that several instruments tied to protection of the Oak Ridges Moraine warrant review.  The ORMF requests revisions to existing policies, amendments to existing legislation, regulations and technical guidelines to ensure more effective ORMCP implementation.

The Measuring Success on the Oak Ridges Moraine reports are available on the Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation’s website: www.ormf.com.

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For more information contact: Kim Gavine, Executive Director, Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation

905-833-5733 ext. 22

 Backgrounder

 Red Flags

 Red Flag #1     Monitoring and Policy Development

There are policy gaps that are allowing continued degradation to the Moraine.  There is also a lack of sufficient monitoring stations, standardized methodologies and committed funding for monitoring. 

 Red Flag #2     Streams

Stream health on the Oak Ridges Moraine is poor.  Only one-third of all stream corridors meet national ecological targets of 75% natural vegetation coverage and many still have high levels of E. Coli and phosphorous loadings. 

 Red Flag #3     Forest Interior

Forest interior habitat is insufficient on the Oak Ridges Moraine to support many significant breeding bird species. 

 Red Flag #4     Prairie and Savannah Habitat

Rare prairie grassland and Savannah habitats, present in small quantities on the Moraine, are under constant threat as is habitat for species-at-risk.

 Red Flag #5     Land Securement

Only 8.5%, or 16,450 hectares, of the Moraine is secured to protect natural habitats and important features.  Yet public polling and stakeholder surveys found strong support for more extensive and active securement. 

 The identification of significant concerns through the Measuring Success project pushed the ORMF to submit an official request to the Environmental Commissioners Office to have the ORMCP reviewed under section 61 of the Environmental Bill of Rights.

Issues include:

• Lack of control of fill importation, site alteration and tree cutting
• Lack of strong direction in the control and management of transportation, utilities and other infrastructure
• Uncoordinated and ineffective management of water resources
• The need to accommodate sustainable lifestyles and livelihoods on the Moraine
• Lack of effective monitoring
• Lack of an effective audit process to assess compliance
• The need to institute a sunset deadline for the grandfather provisions of the ORMCP
• The need for ongoing stewardship, land securement, education and research programs

The Oak Ridges Moraine is an 186,000 hectare ridge, stretching 160 km across South Central Ontario (including the GTA).  This extremely important concentration of forested land has over 60 headwater areas and is one of the most essential groundwater recharge zones in the Province. 

 The Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation (ORMF) is a non-profit organization mandated to preserve, protect and restore the ecological and hydrological health of the Oak Ridges Moraine (Moraine).   Since 2002, the ORMF has allocated more than $14.1 million and leveraged more than $35.8 million to 177 projects in support of stewardship, education, research, trail and land securement projects. With further investment by the Province, the ORMF can build on its success by addressing the challenges with renewed vigour, in order that the Moraine’s value to Ontarians remains secure.  www.ormf.com

Related information:

Premier’s letter

Request for ECO review

Started in 2010, the ORMF’s Measuring Success research and monitoring project was launched to assess how effective the provincial government, the ORMF and all other Moraine partners have been in meeting the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan’s (ORMCP) original expectations and targets.  Comments received by the public and stakeholders will be used to strengthen each of the eight reports prior to their finalization and publication in June 2011.  This is in preparation for the ORMCP scheduled legislative review in 2015.

The Oak Ridges Moraine (ORM) is an 186,000 hectare ridge, stretching 160 kilometres across South Central Ontario (including the GTA).  This extremely important concentration of forested land has over 60 headwater areas and is one of the most essential groundwater recharge zones in the Province.

It was April 22, 2002 (Earth Day) when the Government of Ontario announced the adoption of the ORMCP.  Protecting the ORM as a healthy natural ecosystem was deemed essential to maintaining the health and quality of life for more than 6 million people.

The ORMCP, touted as the strongest environmental strategy in North America when launched, contained innovative and cutting edge policies; such as comprehensive watershed planning, natural systems design and landform conservation.

Preliminary findings from the Measuring Success project illustrate that the ORMCP has been very effective in halting urban sprawl on the Moraine, however, minor amendments or augmentations would make the Plan more effective and user-friendly.  For example, there is an ongoing need for support from the Province to the municipalities and others in the areas of policy interpretation and technical information, a need to clean up unnecessary inconsistencies and duplications that exist between the ORMCP and other provincial policy documents and a need for a review of the land use policies in rural areas to explore ways of providing opportunities for innovation to maintain viability of rural land uses on the ORM.

The Project finds that while the ORM retains a healthy base of natural terrestrial cover, most indicators of a healthy environment used by the Project show that continued improvements are necessary.  For example, naturally vegetated stream corridors are sub-optimal, existing at well below the ecological targets of 75 per cent coverage.  Stream conditions have fallen well below preferred standards for fish community health and benthic community health, with elevated phosphorous loading and E. Coli levels. The remaining forest interior habitat, critical to forest dependent bird species, is inadequate in Natural Linkage areas.  Furthermore, prairie, savannah and sand barren habitats are rare on the ORM and the bird species dependent on these habitats are in decline.

Since 2002, the ORMF has been responsible for delivering approximately $50 million to 177 projects in support of stewardship, education, research, trail and land securement projects. Of this total, the ORMF directly allocated more than $14.1 million and leveraged more than $35.8 million in additional funding. We contend that the ORMF’s stakeholder relationships, proven ability to effectively manage provincial funds and deep understanding of ORM environmental issues make the ORMF best positioned to assist the Province in meeting the ORMCP goals.

The ORMF’s Measuring Success Project shows that much has been done, and done well.  However, it also recognizes that there is much yet to do.  Continued work is needed in the areas of policy development, monitoring, land stewardship, land securement, education and outreach if the ORMCP’s full potential is to be realized.

One of the Moraine’s most important functions is that it acts as a water recharge and discharge system. Permeable sands and gravel absorb and collect rain and melted snow, which then slowly filter into the deep aquifers, or wet underground layers of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials, below the ground. This groundwater is then used in private and public wells across the Moraine, providing clean drinking water to more than 250,000 people. It is because of this function that the Moraine is often described as southern Ontario’s rain barrel.

The Formation of the Moraine

The Oak Ridges Moraine is a geological landform left behind by a glacial retreat that occurred 13,000 years ago. As the glaciers began to retreat and melting progressed the ice over southern Ontario divided into 2 lobes, forming a distinct crack that ran along the future ridgeline of the Moraine. Torrential flood channels developed beneath this melting ice, carrying sediments and dumping them into the crack between the two lobes. These sediments of sand and gravel formed the initial core of the Moraine.

9000 years ago, after the ice sheets and giant glacial lakes seeped away from southern Ontario, the Moraine remained: up to 200 metres thick and rising to over 300 metres above Lake Ontario.

Read Facts About the Oak Ridges Moraine to learn more.

Just as we did in 2000, STORM is once again banding together with Ontario Nature and Earthroots to make our concerns heard in the Legislature. We are gathering signatures, getting media exposure, and hitting the pavement to make sure the Moraine’s needs are heard – for the sake of its ecology, the health of the communities that live along its waters, and the livelihoods that have been established upon it.  With your help we will again be successful just as we were in 2001 when the Province brought in special legislation and regulations.

Over the coming weeks, you may expect to hear from us as we update our contacts, ask you for your input, and make ourselves visible in the Moraine’s communities. Just this past Thursday, we had a wonderful overview of the challenges we face in the Toronto Star. Please see it here: http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1037814–oak-ridges-moraine-not-safe-yet.

• Covers 190,000 hectares and stretches 160 km from the Trent River to the Niagara Escarpment
• Forms the headwaters of 65 streams owing south to Lake Ontario and north to Lake Simcoe, Lake Scugog, Rice Lake and Georgian Bay
• Provides drinking water to more than 250,000 people on the Moraine and millions more in the Greater Toronto Area
• Supports the largest and most diverse breeding populations of birds in Southern Ontario
• Is home to 32 kettle lakes – a very significant habitat
• Hosts the Oak Ridges Moraine Trail – a 273 km recreational trail that traverses the entire length of the Moraine
• Is protected by the Oak Ridges Moraine Act and Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan – legislation that instructs municipalities on what uses are allowed and disallowed

Described as Southern Ontario’s rain barrel – permeable sands and gravels absorb and collect rain and snow melt, which then slowly filters into the deep aquifers below the ground.

Read The Oak Ridges Moraine to learn more.