81,400 hectares of Ontario boreal forest to be protected

The federal government and the Nature Conservancy of Canada announced Oct. 13 that more than 81,400 hectares of boreal forest and peatlands south of Kapuskasing, Ont., will be protected from development, an area the federal government says is 1.3 times the size of Toronto.

The $64-million project includes more than $13 million from Ottawa through the Natural Heritage Conservation Program, according to a news release from Environment and Climate Change Canada. The rest comes from the Government of Ontario, businesses, foundations and private donors, the release said.

File photo of northern Ontario forest, not the protected area. Photo: Derek Sutton/Unsplash.

The Canadian Press reported that the land was previously owned by a company that sold carbon offset credits. The conservancy said some day-use recreation, such as hiking and paddling, may continue where the landscape is healthy and free of vulnerable species, in line with provincial laws.

Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin said in the release that the government is “proud to support the Nature Conservancy of Canada in conserving one of Ontario’s most carbon-rich boreal landscapes.” She said protecting the forests and peatlands “strengthens Canada’s resilience to climate change.”

The release said the area stores more than 30 million tonnes of carbon, which it compared to the yearly emissions of about 34 million passenger vehicles. It also said the land supports species at risk, including the red-headed woodpecker and the bobolink.

Peatlands are a big part of that carbon story. Waterlogged and slow to decay, they hold plant material that would otherwise break down and release greenhouse gases, which is why conservation groups treat them as a priority when they buy land.

The announcement comes as Canada is behind on its own targets. The Canadian Press reported that the federal environmental watchdog found the country was “more than one-million square kilometres short of its 2025 goal” to protect 25 per cent of its land and inland water. Ottawa has since unveiled a $3.8-billion nature protection strategy, according to the same report.

Secretary of State for Nature Nathalie Provost said the government is “steadfast in its goal of protecting 30% of our lands and waters by 2030.” The announcement came ahead of the UN biodiversity summit. The release said Canada plans to highlight its nature investments, including progress on that 30-by-30 goal, at the summit (COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia, which begins the week of Oct. 19. Federal, provincial and territorial conservation ministers are also meeting in Toronto this week, co-hosted by Canada and Ontario.

The purchase is one of many under the Natural Heritage Conservation Program. The release said Ottawa has put more than $558 million into the program, matched by more than $1.1 billion from the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Ducks Unlimited Canada and the land trust community. Together they have helped protect nearly 966,000 hectares, including more than 101,000 hectares in 2025-26.

The land has a commercial history. Northern Ontario Business reported that GreenFirst Forest Products sold 203,000 acres of private boreal forest south of Kapuskasing to Perimeter Forest Limited Partnership for $49.25 million in cash. Perimeter said it planned to become a source of nature-based carbon offsets. That is about 82,000 hectares, close to the size of the area now being protected. Neither the federal release nor the CP report says the land in the earlier sale is the same land now being protected, or what price was paid in this deal.

Several questions are not answered in the public material. Neither the federal release nor the CP report mentions First Nations involvement, though the land lies in northern Ontario, where Indigenous nations hold treaty and Aboriginal rights. They also do not say how much of the $64 million went to buying the land, or what happens to any carbon credits already issued on it. The Canada News Media team has not independently confirmed those details.

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Via The Canadian Press (CP24). Additional sources: Environment and Climate Change Canada; Northern Ontario Business.