Media coverage
Inside the ambitious Indigenous-led plan to protect northwestern Ontario’s “Breathing Lands”
On the western shores of James and Hudson bays, a group of Omushkego Cree nations have been working to protect both water and land.
2025-06-04 | Canadian Geographic
Three high-profile development projects that would immediately benefit from Ford’s controversial Bill 5
Connie O’Connor says the bill would strip away environmental and planning safeguards, concentrating power with the minister while failing to address core challenges in Northern Ontario’s mining sector.
2025-05-29 | Canada's National Observer
Nature forward
Justina Ray comments on new ICMM guidance sets out how mining companies can contribute to building a nature-positive future at their sites.
2025-05-29 | CIM Magazine
Frog conservation leaps ahead in Kootenays
New Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) have been identified in British Columbia thanks to the presence of rare and threatened frogs.
2025-05-29 | e-Know
Ring of Fire road could improve quality of life, but lead to cultural and environmental change: report
A report on a proposed road to the Ring of Fire in Ontario says it could improve quality of life for many people, but also affect cultural traditions and impact the environment, including “permanent loss of habitat” for at-risk caribou.
2025-05-27 | The Narwhal
An alternative approach to bridge Indigenous knowledge and Western science for conservation
Dr. Chrystal Mantyka Pringle writes alongside partners Natasha Ayoub and Katie Fraser for Mongabay on a recent research collaboration between the WCS Canada and Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation.
2025-05-20 | Mongabay
Podcast: Developing the Ring of Fire will accelerate the climate crisis
Justina Ray joins the Small Change podcast to discuss Ontario's plans for the mineral-rich region, about 500km northeast of Thunder Bay, known as the Ring of Fire.
2025-05-15 | Small Change Podcast
New research sheds light on Canada lynx-snowshoe hare cycle, human impacts
WCS Canada Emeritus Scientist Donald Reid speaks to Mongabay on how forestry practices can be improved to better protect wildlife – namely the Snowshoe Hare.
2025-05-14 | Mongabay
New biodiversity areas identified for western grasslands
Initiatives in Saskatchewan and Alberta recognize some of the country’s most extensive and unique remaining prairie ecosystems.
2025-05-13 | Sask Today
The epitome of deregulation: calling Ontario's Bill 5 into question with Connie O'Connor
Constance O'Connor joins the Emerging Environments podcast for a full discussion on the implications of Ontario's Bill 5 for the environment, endangered species, and democratic processes in the province.
2025-05-12 | Emerging Environments
Ontario’s Bill 5 sparks new concerns where a legacy of environmental damage remains
“It just seems to be a blank cheque,” says Constance O’Connor, a director at Wildlife Conservation Society Canada. “There’s no precedent for this kind of exemption in Canada, and the potential for corruption is huge.”
2025-05-08 | The Narwhal
Let’s judge Ontario’s mineral development by what is protected — not just extracted
Leaders who promise to accelerate extraction while offering minor mitigations are ignoring what decades of experience have shown us - that this model leads to ecological decline, from disappearing species to polluted waters & fragmented habitats. That also spells decline for us.
2025-05-02 | Toronto Star
Meet the people trying to keep a prehistoric fish alive
Lake sturgeon have long been culturally significant and nutritionally important to First Nations in Ontario, but dams and commercial fishing have put them at risk.
2025-04-30 | The Narwhal
Ontario further gutting protections for endangered species, environmentalists say
“Any animal needs to eat and drink and do other basic activities of life beyond having a nest or a den,” said Connie O’Connor, Director of WCS Canada's Ontario Northern Boreal Program, calling the new definition of habitat “absurd.”
2025-04-24 | Globe & Mail
Ontario is killing its Endangered Species Act. Here’s what you need to know
Ontario is dismantling its Endangered Species Act, replacing it with legislation that prioritizes development. Justina Ray warns the move undermines efforts to safeguard species in crisis, likening it to a fire department hesitating to tackle a blaze due to water damage costs
2025-04-24 | The Narwhal
