Published plans and annual reports 2025–2026: Ministry of Natural Resources

Ministry overview

Ministry's vision

The people of Ontario benefit from the health and wealth of the province's natural resources, today and in the future.

Ministry's mission

To manage and promote the responsible use of Ontario's natural resources.

Mandate

The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) ensures that the people of Ontario benefit from the health and wealth of the province's natural resources, today and in the future. We:

• protect communities and people from certain natural hazards including wildland fire and flooding
• enable businesses, communities and people to enjoy and benefit from Ontario's natural resources
• nurture nature to ensure that Ontario's forests, fish and wildlife continue to thrive for generations to come

To achieve its mandate commitments, the ministry oversees and implements programs and undertakes activities that align with 5 government and ministry priorities:

• Economic development — strive to make it easy to do business, remove unnecessary barriers and create the right conditions for economic growth in Ontario's natural resources.
• Service excellence — committed to continuous improvement, we provide timely, cost-effective programs, services and experiences that meet or exceed expectations. We provide modern and flexible service wherever possible, while respecting inclusion and accessibility needs.
• Sustainable resources management — maintain healthy and diverse natural resources and ecosystems that are resilient to change.
• Public safety — reduce the risk to Ontarians posed by natural hazard emergencies and strengthen efforts to keep people and property safe from natural resource emergencies.
• Organizational leadership — being adaptable and open to new approaches to solve problems, through the development of legislation, policies and implementing programs to ensure the responsible use and management of Ontario's natural resources.

Ministry programs

The ministry’s 10 programs are described below.

Forest Industry

The Forest Industry Program leads economic development for the forestry sector and implements initiatives to promote an economically viable forest industry in Ontario. The program oversees activities related to the allocation, use and pricing of Crown timber, the management and collection of Crown timber charges and the delivery of business development policies and initiatives affecting Ontario's Forest products sector.

Natural Resources Policy

The Natural Resources Policy Program leads the development, guidance and evaluation of evidence-based provincial legislation, regulations, policies and programs. The program also ensures that the ministry meets the Crown's rights-based obligation to consult with Indigenous peoples and communities and engages relevant partners, stakeholders, government and non-government interests across the province.

Natural Resource Science and Research

The Science and Research Branch provides quality science services to inform natural resource management decisions that contribute to the economic, environmental and social sustainability of Ontario's natural resources. Key deliverables include leading, coordinating and developing applied research; and developing and implementing provincial resource inventory and monitoring programs. MNR also provides science support to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP), related to Ontario Parks and Species at Risk.

Mapping and Geographic Information

The Mapping and Geographic Information Program provides geographic information, digital and data leadership as well as information management services to government, academia, business and the public. In support of this program, Geospatial Ontario ensures geographic data is effectively collected, managed and maintained and meets the objectives of Ontario's Open Data Directive. Geographic data has many uses across the public, private and academic sectors, by supporting locational insight, place-based decision-making and navigation. The program also supports the Surveyors Act, Surveys Act, Mining Act and Public Lands Act to ensure Ontario's property framework continues to support a strong economy.

Forest Management

The Forest Management Program enables a healthy and viable forest industry in Ontario by fostering a competitive business environment, jobs and investment opportunities for the province's forest and wood products sectors. The program guides the development and maintenance of sustainable forest policy and programs that ensure long-term health of forests. The program accomplishes its mandate through inter-governmental co-operation on national forestry initiatives; forest management planning, renewal and protection from pests; monitoring; auditing; information management; and public reporting on Ontario's public forests.

Fish and Wildlife

The Fish and Wildlife Program manages Ontario's fish and wildlife resources to ensure the sustainability of fish and wildlife populations and the management of fishing, hunting and trapping opportunities for the ecological, social, cultural and economic benefit of Ontarians. The program accomplishes its mandate through resource management planning, research and monitoring and the delivery of public services to sustain healthy fish and wildlife populations for Ontario's future.

Regional Natural Resources Operations

The Regional Natural Resources Operations Program is responsible for the localized coordination and delivery of ministry programs and services. Specifically, the program delivers public services through a network of regional, district and field offices located across the province via an inter-disciplinary workforce. Services include Crown land surveying, land-use planning management and allocation of resources, permits, licences and approvals in the areas of forests, fisheries, wildlife, Crown lands (including dams), waters, wetlands, aggregates and the petroleum sector. Within this program, the Far North Branch is responsible for the delivery of the Far North Act, 2010 within a specific geographic area. The program implements a joint community-based land-use planning process with Far North First Nations partners. It also supports the review of economic development opportunities, including all-season roads, transmission corridors and mining development in the Ring of Fire region.

Natural Resources Enforcement

The Natural Resources Enforcement Program delivers professional enforcement services and activities to ensure compliance with natural resource legislation for the protection of Ontario's natural resources and public safety. The program accomplishes its mandate through public engagement, investigations, focused deterrence activities, responses to public complaints and prosecution of natural resource offenders. The program also contributes to the development and renewal of natural resource management policy and legislation.

Public Safety and Natural Hazard Emergency Response

The ministry is committed to the protection of people, property and communities and is responsible for leading emergency planning for the following 7 hazards:

• wildland fires
• floods
• drought or low water
• dam failure
• oil and gas
• salt solution-mining and underground storage emergencies
• erosion, soil and bedrock instability

The ministry's approach to managing hazards is to focus on the prevention and mitigation of losses and economic and social disruption. The ministry also delivers specialized wildland fire, emergency management and aviation services and provides support to Emergency Management Ontario and other ministries in the delivery of emergency response in Ontario. This includes the aerial evacuation of residents in communities affected by flood or wildland fire.

Corporate Management

Corporate management functions include:

• fiscal controllership and financial governance
• sustainable infrastructure and facility management
• strategic human resources planning and management
• supply chain management
• geospatial data and services
• IT service management
• leadership in digital, data and information management
• French Language Services
• administration of the Freedom of Information and Privacy Protection Act

Ministry distribution of 2025-26 operating expense allocation by vote, item and sub-item^{footnote 1[1]}

2025-26 Strategic plan

The ministry's strategic plan includes goals outcomes that will guide MNR and focus efforts to achieve government and ministry priorities and deliver on the ministry's mandate to promote Ontario's economic prosperity, while responsibly managing and developing the province's natural resources.

The ministry is undertaking several initiatives throughout 2025-26 to advance government and ministry priorities. Selected ministry initiatives in relation to each priority are described below.

Ministry contribution to government priorities and results

Economic development

Deliverables

• Promote economic growth by removing unnecessary barriers to support job creation in Ontario's forestry, aggregates and fishery sectors.
• Promote sustainable outdoor recreation opportunities.

Key activities

Forest industry

• Continue the expansion of Forest Access Roads in Northern Ontario — The continued increase of $6 million in 2025-26 will help to build and maintain rural road infrastructure in Crown forests used by the forest industry, mining companies, utilities, railways, hunters, campers, anglers and Indigenous communities and to support emergency preparedness. The increase will support the ministry's goal of increasing investment and economic opportunities in Ontario by providing and maintaining critical road access for commercial activities in the forestry and mining sectors. It will also support the ministry's goal to provide timely and effective response to wildland fires, as these roads provide part of the rural infrastructure for fire response and other emergencies.
• Ongoing implementation of Sustainable Growth: Ontario's Forest Sector Strategy (FSS) — The FSS is part of the government's plan to create jobs, reduce administrative burden and promote economic growth and prosperity across the province, while ensuring responsible stewardship of our natural resources for future generations. The strategy aligns with other government strategies including the Made-In-Ontario Environment Plan and Ontario's Housing Supply Action Plan to help Ontario achieve its objectives to responsibly grow the forest sector while creating opportunity and prosperity for the many people who depend on it, including Indigenous, northern and rural communities. Four pillars of action are designed to put more wood to work, identify innovation opportunities and increase the use of wood in Ontario's building sector through the use of advance wood construction processes and products.
• Continue to work with stakeholders, Indigenous communities and other ministries to support the creation of career pathways and promote innovation to address workforce challenges in the forest sector.
• Continued implementation of the Forest Biomass Action Plan — As part of delivering on commitments in the FSS, the ministry released a 5-year action plan with the goal of securing jobs, supporting economic development and encouraging sustainability in the forest sector through the use of Ontario's forest biomass (mill residues, forest biofibre). Implementation of the plan's actions will continue until the end of 2026.
  • In 2023-24, MNR implemented a $20 million Forest Biomass Program that focuses on supporting initiatives that secure and increase long-term wood utilization across the province, with a focus on underutilized species and forest biomass. The ministry received approval for an ongoing annual $20 million program starting in 2024-25.
• The Government of Ontario finalized the Advanced Wood Construction Action Plan in January 2025. The Advanced Wood Construction Action Plan, as part of Sustainable Growth: Ontario's Forest Sector Strategy seeks to enhance the use of wood in construction in Ontario through innovative methods and materials which put wood to work in larger and taller structures and complete projects faster, at a lower cost, with a smaller environmental footprint.
• Continue to lead the multi-ministry Ontario Bioheat Initiative to improve and support the use of biofuels as a source of heat in Ontario. This initiative supports the increased demand for wood-based biofuels, which contributes to economic growth in Ontario's forest industry by providing new markets for Crown forest resources.
• Continue to co-chair the Wildfire Solutions Forum, an initiative between forest industry and the ministry aimed at promoting dialogue and collaboration between the wildland fire program and industry. The initiative supports practical solutions in wildland fire prevention, mitigation and response, related to impacts to forest industry business practices.
• Continue to defend Ontario's interests in the ongoing softwood lumber trade dispute between Canada and the United States (US). The dispute involves ongoing investigations, administrative reviews conducted by the US Department of Commerce and multiple appeals taking place under the North American Free Trade Agreement / Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement and at the World Trade Organization. MNR works closely with partners in industry, internal and external counsel, other provinces and the federal government to support Ontario's forest industry, advocate for free trade and maintain market access in the United States.
• In collaboration with the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade (MEDJCT), ongoing delivery of the Forest Sector Investment and Innovation Program (FSIIP), which supports actions geared to putting more wood to work and fostering innovation. The program will also continue to encourage regional economic development, business growth and job creation in forest-dependent regions across northern and rural Ontario.

Natural resources policy

• Forest Policy Framework — The ministry is committed to enhancing sustainable forest management in Ontario's managed forests to support long-term forest health, while ensuring that Ontario's forest sector and products continue to meet standards of responsible forestry. The ministry is implementing the recently updated forest manuals, which modernize and streamline the forest management planning and wood measurement process requirements to reduce burden for forest industry and enable First Nation communities in Ontario's Far North to prepare and implement community-based forest management plans. These changes will help the forest industry reduce annual costs by approximately $1.1 million and waive the costs associated with community-based forest management planning in the Far North.
  • Ongoing implementation of the Wood Measurement Modernization Plan (WMMP). First launched in 2024-25, in collaboration with forest industry partners, the WMMP aims to reduce regulatory burden, grow talent in the forest sector and encourage the adoption of new technologies.
• Public Lands Act Policy Framework — The ministry is streamlining procedural aspects of the policy for acquiring public land within municipalities, to support economic development in communities.
• Aggregate Resources Policy Framework — The ministry will continue to ensure that its policy framework protects and enables access to aggregate resources while minimizing the impact of aggregate operations.
• Red Tape Reduction — Since 2018, the ministry has reduced direct annual costs to business by approximately $3.63 million and regulatory compliance requirements by 28%. MNR will continue to reduce red tape by modernizing the regulatory environment and being responsive to stakeholders, improving our natural resources programs and services and growing Ontario's natural resources sector.
• Geologic Carbon Storage — The ministry will continue to move ahead with Ontario's plan to regulate geologic carbon storage through a phased approach as outlined in the public facing document Roadmap Towards Regulating Geologic Carbon Storage that was released on Ontario.ca in 2022. In 2025-26 the ministry will continue developing a regulatory framework for commercial-scale carbon storage projects, taking a measured approach to create a model that is the right fit for Ontario.
• Implementation of Protecting People and Property: Ontario's Flooding Strategy — Released in March 2020, the strategy includes over 90 initiatives designed to help ensure the continued social and economic prosperity of Ontario communities threatened by flooding. As the lead for the Strategy, the ministry will continue to collaborate with other ministries, municipalities and external partners to advance the actions outlined within the Strategy and increase the province's resiliency to flood related emergencies. Through Natural Resources Canada's Flood Hazard Identification and Mapping Program (FHIMP), MNR leverages federal funding to support flood mapping projects undertaken by municipalities, planning authorities, Conservation Authorities, Indigenous communities, or other qualified experts.

Fish and wildlife

• Outdoor Recreation Opportunities — Continue to promote fish and wildlife outdoor activities through marketing and communications channels, including social media, fishing and hunting regulation summaries, newsletters, outreach events, the Learn to Fish program and Fish ON-Line.
• Fish and Wildlife — Continue to support the recreational fishery. With more than 250,000 lakes and countless rivers and streams, Ontario's vast aquatic resources provide anglers with a wide range of fishing opportunities, from shoreline fishing in the city to fly-in fishing trips in remote areas of the province. There are 1.3 million people licensed to hunt and fish in Ontario. Anglers alone spend $1.74 billion per year on recreational fishing in Ontario. In addition to management of self-sustaining fish populations, the ministry raises approximately 8 million fish per year and stocks them in 1,200 lakes across the province, to rehabilitate degraded populations and also to provide new fishing opportunities and the economic benefits these provide. The ministry also supports sustainable native wildlife populations and their ecosystems, which provide important ecological, cultural, economic and social benefits for Ontarians. Hunters spend more than $844 million annually on hunting, which support jobs and businesses in many rural and northern communities that depend on them.

Natural resource science and research

• Science and Research — The ministry is an authoritative source within the Ontario Public Service (OPS) of science services that contribute to the economic, environmental and social sustainability of Ontario's natural resources. Science services including inventory, monitoring, research, analyses and reporting, to inform decision-making and policy development related to the management and regulation of natural resources and the environment.
• The ministry will support commercial fisheries through science and monitoring programs that support sustainable quotas for the industry. Fishers have access to programs that provide for licensing and quota tracking that support business needs. The ministry directly supports industry initiatives such as the Marine Stewardship Certification. This certification allows fisheries to access markets requiring “eco-certification” and ensures that Ontario's commercial fish products are well represented in the broader marketplace. The ministry is currently working with stakeholders and partners to update species specific fisheries management plans throughout the Great Lakes.

Regional natural resources operations — Far North Branch

• Continue to implement a joint community-based land-use planning process with Far North First Nations. MNR will focus on supporting joint planning with willing First Nations partners.
• Continue to support strategic initiatives including the Ring of Fire and all-season road proposals; and provide expert advice and input to MNR and OPS policy initiatives that impact the Far North.
• Continue to play a vital role in supporting the growth of First Nation communities with land requirements for critical housing, facilities and infrastructure.

Mapping and geographic information

• Geospatial Ontario — The ministry will continue to implement Geospatial Ontario improvements with a digital-first approach to reduce costs, open and equalize data, manage geospatial data as a strategic enterprise asset, deliver solutions that are built once and benefit all ministries, reduce duplication and modernize the geospatial IT infrastructure.
• Geospatial Data Services — The ministry will continue to provide foundational geospatial data that is critical to supporting Ontario's Digital and Data Strategy and digital economy. This includes the geospatial and land tenure data required for resource development and economic growth in the mining, water and wind power, engineering and construction industries. The mapping and geospatial sector overall is estimated to contribute over 5 billion dollars to Ontario's economy each year.

Service delivery excellence

Deliverables

• Promote innovative strategies that enable more efficient and sustainable public service delivery and maintain service level standards.
• Promote service delivery modernization strategies that enable more accessible and convenient service delivery to the people of Ontario.

Key activities

• Modernization of the ministry's natural hazard emergency management program — The ministry will continue focusing on identifying, assessing and recommending changes to the ministry's wildland fire program. The work will include proposed improvements to legislation, program reviews (including wildland fire prevention and mitigation, predictive services and risk assessment, communications, preparedness and response) and efforts to enhance organizational effectiveness and human resource strategies.
• Managing risks of subsurface gas migration and legacy wells — In 2023-24, the ministry received approval for $23.65 million over 3 years to support its work on the development of a comprehensive long-term action plan to help manage risks posed by legacy gas wells and related subsurface gas migration hazards. In 2025-26, the ministry will continue to implement critical aspects of the comprehensive long-term action plan needed to reduce risks.
• Leveraging federal funding for flood hazard mapping — The ministry continues to work with the federal government to secure federal investment in creating and updating flood hazard mapping in Ontario, including participation in the Federal FHIMP program, that directly supports municipalities, Conservation Authorities and private landowners in flood mapping projects. The ministry is committed to continuing to work with federal partners to improve Ontario's elevation data holdings, deliver additional funding and continue to invest in local projects of greatest value to municipalities, Indigenous communities and other partners.
• LEAN — The ministry's Digital Strategy includes continuous improvement of ministry business processes through workshops, program support, coaching and change management. The ministry continues to prioritize service delivery that is modern and client-focused by taking a user centered approach and being data driven.
• Public Safety Radio Network project — In 2024-25, the ministry received approval for $4 million over 2 years for the ongoing implementation of the public safety radio network. Replacing the existing dated radio network system with a new network will ensure Ontario is compliant to the current North American standard for public safety networks, will meet the legislated security and privacy standards and will ensure that first responders are protected with a robust and reliable radio network and equipment. MNR and MECP programs benefiting from the project include 37 Forest Fire Management Headquarters and Attack Bases, the MNR Provincial Communication Unit, 94 MNR offices, 340 Provincial parks and 295 conservation areas and reserves.
• Fishing and Hunting Customer Service and Support — The ministry continues to provide customer service to anglers and hunters, including licensing and big game draw services, contact centre support, social media and the fish and wildlife licence issuer network. The ministry's contact centre has undertaken a Lean assessment and implemented enhancements to their phone service to improve the client experience. This includes streamlining incoming calls to reduce phone menu navigation and adding in-queue messaging and 24-hour self-service information to provide clients with access to commonly requested information.
• New Fishing and Hunting Licensing System — The ministry continues to support anglers and hunters by updating the Fishing and Hunting Licensing Service (FAWLS).
  • Continue to seek feedback from the public and stakeholders on FAWLS and explore opportunities for system improvements to address clients' preferences. A largescale IT project is underway to build a new FAWLS and it is expected to go live in December 2026. Key milestones in 2025-26 include an Environmental Registry posting, ongoing user research and pre-launch communications. Efforts in 2025-26 will help ensure the program realizes its full potential with respect to delivering value and benefits to Ontarians now and into the future.
• Natural Resources Enforcement — The ministry will continue to focus on enforcement priorities such as illegal moose hunting, promotion of hunting safety, illegal commercialization of Ontario's natural resources and illegal recreational fishing.
• Commercial Fisheries Modernization — The ministry will continue to work with the Ontario Commercial Fisheries' Association, licensed commercial fishers, fish processors and buyers to simplify and streamline licensing, quota management and reporting policy and procedures. The goals of this project include faster licence renewals and easier harvesting reporting. In 2025-26, the ministry will begin engagement with an established industry working group on commercial fishing policy modernization.
• Niagara Escarpment Modernization — The ministry is exploring opportunities to modernize and streamline processes including those related to development permit applications. Existing policy protections for the Niagara Escarpment will remain intact while improving service delivery for permitting.
• Natural Resources Information Portal (NRIP) — NRIP streamlines the exchange of mandatory information with the forest and aggregate sectors, reduces costs and risks associated with outdated software, eliminates complex and confusing paper forms and enhances online public engagement and access to natural resource management information.
  • The ministry continues to implement and improve NRIP, including client services, to reduce burden on businesses and people by providing fast, accessible and secure online approval and activity reporting services.
  • In 2025-26, the ministry will continue to modernize services to clients focused on accessibility, alignment with Ontario Digital Standards and improve functionality. Improvements will include the development of additional online forms and expanding opportunities for online payments, service delivery modernization for forest management planning, land management, aggregate resource management services, increasing functional support for compliance and inspections, modernizing legacy IT applications and enhancing system functionality to better support users.
  • The portal will serve as a central data repository, enabling more efficient and cost-effective approval processes for the majority of resource management approvals.
• Work with qualified dam owners to streamline approvals for low-risk alterations, improvements and repairs to dams to reduce burden to the waterpower industry, while enhancing dam safety.
• Continue to implement the Legacy Oil and Gas Wells Action Plan which is investing $23.65 million to identify and mitigate risks associated with old oil and gas wells. The Action Plan includes:
  • Undertaking multi-year research and scientific studies to identify engineering best practices, conduct well assessments, review historical records to identify undocumented wells not currently in the provincial database and investigate technologies available to detect emissions potentially from leaking wells and/or subsurface gas migration.
  • Expanding the Abandoned Works Program, which provides financial assistance to eligible landowners to support the plugging of oil and gas wells that are a high risk to public safety or the natural environment. Since the program began in 2005, the province has invested approximately $33 million to plug 440 wells. The plugging of several more oil and gas wells under the Abandoned Works Program is currently underway.
  • Funding to assist municipalities prepare for emergencies associated with legacy oil and gas wells.
  • Engaging stakeholder and residents in the southwestern part of the province, where wells are particularly prevalent, to raise awareness of the presence of wells and receive input on the ministry's Action Plan.
• Consider opportunities to modernize procedures and address the need for additional professional surveyors in Ontario.
• Provide survey advice to industry partners (such as mining, renewable energy and construction industries) to accurately delineate land boundaries and to support First Nations land claim negotiations.
• Encourage Ontarians to participate in geographic naming decisions within their communities by completing online questionnaires. Official geographic names help to identify historic, cultural and natural features on the landscape that are essential for mapping, emergency response, resource management, travel and tourism and law enforcement.
• Issue and maintain sustainable forest licences to enable the harvest and use of forest resources within a management unit.
• Surveying Profession — To help address the continuing recruitment need for additional professional surveyors in Ontario, the ministry is collaborating with the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors to explore ways to make it easier for surveyors from other jurisdictions to practice in Ontario. Additional surveyors will help Ontario meet critical public needs, including housing development.
• Geospatial Data Services — The ministry coordinates partnerships to acquire, use and distribute foundational geospatial data across governments, the broader public sector, academic and business sectors and the public. This ensures that geospatial data is accurate and accessible at a reduced cost. The ministry will prioritize improvements based on regular assessments of all foundation geospatial data.
  • Expand partnerships through Geospatial Ontario to collect and improve a range of foundational geospatial data such as land parcels, elevation, roads and water to avoid duplication, reduce costs and enhance data quality.
• Acquire up to 20,000 square kilometres of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data through the Ontario Elevation Mapping Program providing high resolution elevation data that serves multiple business sectors, including flood mapping, agriculture, engineering, surveying, mining and resource management.
• Provide public access to 425 geographic datasets, plus thousands of associated and derived datasets, through Ontario GeoHub, a data discovery and access tool that allows nearly 300,000 users to download or stream the data they need. By providing public access to government data, the ministry is supporting Ontario's Open Data initiatives as well as Ontario's digital economy ensuring simpler, faster and better services for people and businesses.
• Provide open access to current aerial imagery, previously only available to municipalities, partners and businesses that contributed funding to the collection costs. Imagery is critical for mapping, analysis, land use planning, infrastructure and housing development, emergency response, environmental monitoring and more.

Sustainable resource management

Deliverables

• Maintain healthy and diverse natural resources and ecosystems that are resilient to change.

Key activities

• Continue to utilize LiDAR technology to inventory Ontario's Crown forests, for monitoring of the land base and wood supply in Ontario. The new inventory will create a three-dimensional image of the forest. The technology will provide more accurate measurements and forecasting of wood supply than previous inventories.
• Use applied aquatic research and broad-scale monitoring of inland lakes to provide information on the health of Ontario's freshwater ecosystems and support management of recreational and commercial fisheries.
• Continue implementation of the Ontario Wildlife Monitoring Network (OWMN), a developing network of long-term field plots using automated cameras, acoustic recorders and small mammal trapping to collect data on wildlife and wildlife habitat across the Managed Forest. When fully implemented, OWMN will provide information to support a wide range of ministry resource management decision-making needs.
• Utilize forest health monitoring to support forest pest management, including undertaking annual forest health surveys to assess the impact of forest pests, providing science support to control programs for spruce budworm in the Boreal Forest and comparing and improving eDNA survey techniques for oak wilt and hemlock woolly adelgid.
• Continue to undertake wildlife research and monitoring to inform Ontarians about the health of wildlife across the province. This includes aerial inventories of moose and research populations and the black bear population monitoring project. It also includes the rabies control program, testing for the presence of Chronic Wasting Disease and investigating sightings of wild pigs (a potentially costly invasive species) and removing them, as required.
• Continue working with MECP to develop a caribou science plan to fulfil the Canada-Ontario Caribou Conservation agreement established in April 2022.
• Continue to manage the Great Lakes fisheries to ensure long-term sustainable economic and social cultural benefits from recreational, commercial and Indigenous fisheries.
  • This includes working collaboratively with the Saugeen Ojibway Nation and Parks Canada on the Together with Giigoonyag (fishes) research project. The project aims to better understand the health of dikameg (lake whitefish) and other fish species in parts of Lake Huron using a Two-Eyed Seeing Approach that brings together Saugeen Ojibway Nation's ecological knowledge and western science.
  • On Lake Ontario the ministry continues to work collaboratively with the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne and Williams Treaties First Nations Communities on opportunities for holistic approaches to fisheries assessment and incorporation of First Nations traditional knowledge to MNR programming.
  • The ministry is also working collaboratively with the commercial fishing industry and Indigenous communities to consider options to improve lake whitefish populations in Lake Huron.
  • In addition, the ministry is working with the commercial fish industry to maintain Marine Stewardship Certification of Lake Erie walleye and yellow perch, including work with US Great Lake State partners to monitor and assess the status of walleye and yellow perch populations.
• Continue to implement Ontario's Sustainable Bait Management Strategy which addresses ecological threats and increases protection for Ontario's vibrant fisheries while minimizing impacts on anglers and increasing business certainty for the commercial industry that relies on bait.
• Continue to work with the aquaculture sector on the Great Lakes to ensure further economic growth, while balancing environmental and social concerns. This includes implementing 20-year Aquaculture Licences and long-term Crown Land leases, standardized environmental monitoring and licence conditions and working with Indigenous communities in support of a collaborative approach to responsible management of this industry.
• Develop and deliver a survey to recreational anglers in Ontario encompassing residents, non-residents, other Canadian anglers and senior anglers. The survey has been delivered on a 5-year cycle since 1975 and the resulting data is critical to supporting modern fisheries management and the continued creation of opportunities for anglers in Ontario.
• Continue to work with key partners, including the Ontario Fur Managers Federation, to identify ways to modernize trapper licensing and improve client services.
• Continue to emphasize moose research and monitoring efforts to implement priorities to ensure sustainable management of Ontario's moose population and optimization of monitoring programs such as the moose aerial inventory program.
• Implement the ministry's Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) prevention and response plan including proactive measures to prevent the introduction of CWD to Ontario, monitoring to ensure early detection and planning to ensure a rapid and aggressive response should the disease be detected.
• Continue to collaborate with other ministries and external partners to renew Ontario's Invasive Species Strategic Plan, which will provide updated policy direction and commitments to modernize and guide invasive species prevention and management efforts. And continue to implement the Invasive Species Act, 2015 to protect biodiversity and mitigate the economic and community impacts of invasive species. This includes working with partners to monitor, control and raise awareness about high-risk invasive species.
• Continue to work with partner ministries and external partners to better understand and integrate biodiversity and climate change considerations into policies and programs. This includes working with the Ontario Biodiversity Council to implement Ontario's Biodiversity Strategy, which establishes a whole-of-society approach to biodiversity management and promotes actions that benefit biodiversity, address climate change, improve human health, strengthen communities and support the economy.

Public safety

Deliverables

• Continuously improving our prevention and response efforts and increasing public awareness about safety rules, risks and preparedness.

Key activities

• Monitor, plan, prepare for and respond to wildland fires in Ontario and support other mutual aid resource partners. Implement new recruitment, retention and training initiatives to increase the number of wildland fire fighters and to support skill development and health and safety. Work will continue on innovative communication approaches including situational briefings for industry, municipalities, Indigenous communities and the public. New opportunities will be explored to partner with Indigenous communities to support their efforts in emergency management and to develop inter-operability between the ministry and Indigenous communities, including the Ishkode Coordination Table, which was implemented in 2024-25 to support ongoing Indigenous wildfire management engagement in support of capacity building, resilience and wildfire stewardship.
• Continue with the next phase of the natural hazard emergency management modernization project by focusing on identifying, assessing and recommending changes to the ministry's wildland fire program including improvements to prevention and mitigation, predictive services and risk assessment, communications and preparedness and response.
• Through a $64 million 4-year provincial and federal contribution agreement under the Fighting and Managing Wildfires in a Changing Climate Equipment Fund, in place until March 31, 2027, the program will purchase firefighting equipment and fund ongoing key modernization initiatives including:
  • The purchase of wildland firefighting equipment, including support vehicles, fuel systems, tankers and trucks.
  • Investments in modernization initiatives to understand the trends, challenges and risks that Ontario residents, communities, business and governments are likely to face to develop the skills, programs and technologies that will allow the ministry, other partners and communities be prepared for and respond to natural resource disaster events of the future with a specific focus on wildland fire events.
• Invest up to $15 million over 4 years, beginning in 2024-25, to advance flood mapping in Ontario under the federal Flood Hazard Identification and Mapping Program. Most of the funds will be provided to interested conservation authorities and municipalities to map local flood hazard areas.
• Continue to participate in and co-lead collaborative pan-Canadian prevention and mitigation planning efforts, as well as actively increase public engagement, awareness and education in Ontario on how property owners, communities and land managers can prepare for and mitigate the risks and adverse impacts of wildland fire; promote the implementation of the FireSmart program and Community Wildland Fire Protection Planning.
  • For 2025-26, the key activities for the prevention and mitigation planning efforts are to support the implementation of the pan-Canadian strategy; contribute to the development of implementation actions at the national level; and develop a plan to implement and integrate key commitments as part of the prevention and mitigation program review under Natural Hazard Emergency Management Modernization.
• Continue to deliver funding available through the FireSmart Communities Transfer Payment program with the intended outcome of building partnerships with municipalities within the fire region so they are aware of wildfire risks, able to plan and prepare for wildland fire and are supported by government to ensure enhanced community resiliency.
• Continue to invest in Collaborative Research Agreements with universities and other research agencies to improve fire management programming, firefighter health and safety and public safety services.
• Continue to invest in science (such as predictive services) to better understand wildland fire risk to inform ministry actions and to support and provide awareness to the public.
• Continue to co-manage operation and maintenance of the Ontario Hydrometric network with Environment and Climate Change Canada. Participate in national initiatives for the river and lake water monitoring network to ensure the efficiency and maximum value are achieved for the interests and public safety of Ontarians.
• Continue efforts to raise awareness of illegal moose hunting through social media communications.
• Conduct targeted patrols to address illegal recreational fishing based on past trends, fish population data and seasonal fishing regulations.
• Collect information and develop intelligence to inform enforcement actions related to illegal commercialization of Ontario's natural resources.
• Continue to work with Indigenous communities to resolve natural resource occurrences involving Indigenous persons through community-based restorative justice.
• Develop and deliver messaging and products to increase public awareness of unsafe hunting practices and the factors that increase the likelihood of hunting incidents occurring.

Organizational leadership

Deliverables

• Build a workforce culture that is adaptable and collaborative and where employees are valued and engaged to contribute.
• Committed to continuous improvement and to providing timely, cost-effective programs, services and experiences that meet or exceed expectations.
• Develop legislation, policies and implement programs to regulate the use and management of Ontario's natural resources and Crown lands.

Key activities

• Support privacy, access, digital and data priorities with the implementation of the MNR Digital Strategy and leadership in open data through the implementation of Recordkeeping, Access and Privacy Policy.
• Develop a new Technology Investment Blueprint to guide how the ministry will invest, manage and deliver technology over the next 3 years. The Blueprint will consider user feedback and incorporates new approaches for governance, funding, planning and supports to reduce costs, improve decision-making, increase efficiency and cross-ministry collaboration.
• Lead the ministry's collaboration with the Ministry of Infrastructure to support the Centralization of Broader Real Estate Authority initiative, a multi-phase project that explores opportunities for the government to centralize real estate authority and decision-making into Ministry of Infrastructure.
• Lead contaminated sites remediation projects for buildings and assets with environmental contamination from historic uses such as fuel tanks or chemical storage.
• Lead the ministry's physical security program to identify security gaps and implement required enhancements to protect assets, people and information.
• Lead the ministry's modernization and continuous improvement efforts, including:
  • expanding digital channels for easy access
  • continuing a paper digitization initiative, to further increase the digital availability of key paper records to clients and staff
  • continuing to enable the ministry's workforce with the technology needed to deliver services and support modern working
• Lead the External Service Standards for the ministry. Go to Performance Measure 2 in Ministry Performance Measures and Achievements.
• Reduce the harmful impacts of invasive species. MNR is continuing to invest $16 million of new funding over 3 years to support a multi-year strategic partnership with the Invasive Species Centre and the Nature Conservancy of Canada, implementing a provincial plan to address invasive species. This includes support for the Invasive Species Action Fund and Ontario Phragmites Action Program, both of which empower municipalities, Indigenous communities and local organizations to lead on-the ground action to reduce the impacts of high-risk invasive species across the province.
• Continued implementation of Ontario's Flooding Strategy, working with several ministries and partners to make Ontario more resilient to flooding in the long term. Priorities include updating technical guidance for identifying flood and erosion hazards, investing in the creation and updating enhanced flood mapping and promoting sound land use planning decisions.
• Geospatial Ontario provides modern, open access to mapping data and tools for all ministries, allowing government and organizations to access current aerial imagery critical for mapping, land use planning, housing development, infrastructure projects, environmental monitoring and other priorities.
• Continue to implement risk-informed approaches to dam safety under the Lakes and Rivers Improvement Act, including streamlined approaches for low-risk dam repairs and agreements with qualified dam owners.
• Continue to work collaboratively with the Ministry of Energy and with the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks on the review of existing Crown land and renewable energy policy and procedures to streamline requirements.
• Work with the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors to amend the Surveyors Act to attract new surveyors to the profession to support the province's housing and development needs. The changes introduce new licence types and include provisions to modernize survey office operations. This will allow internationally trained surveyors to enter the workforce faster, enable Ontario to bring in surveyors from other provinces and jurisdictions and provide survey firms with more flexibility to deliver innovative solutions.
• Work with the forest sector to implement revisions to the Forest Management Planning Manual and the Forest Information Manual and associated technical specifications in support of the Forest Sector Strategy. This is a multi-year initiative that will be implemented through development of forest management plans.
• Revise the Forest Information Manual technical specifications to support implementation of the updated forest manuals. The technical specifications set out the detailed, technical conditions for information exchange under the Forest Information Manual.
• Review the Forest Management Guide for Cultural Heritage Values and the Forest Management Guide to Silviculture in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence and Boreal Forests of Ontario. Revise the Forest Management Guides for the Boreal and Great Lakes — St. Lawrences Landscapes and finalize revisions of the Forest Management Guide for Conserving Biodiversity at the Stand and Site Scale. Undertake stakeholder and Indigenous engagement related to the reviews and the revisions.
• Implement the revised policy for independent forest audits under Ontario's Independent Forest Audit regulation (Ontario Regulation 319/20 under the Crown Forest Sustainability Act, 1994), based on a 2022-23 review of the implementation of the regulation completed by the Ontario Internal Audit Division. The revisions will support the 2025 audits and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of independent forest audits across the province's managed forests.
• Develop strategic direction for managing forest pests in Ontario. The ministry is proposing a strategic, risk-based approach to enhance our response to forest pest outbreaks, help protect forest health and improve resiliency of Ontario's forests. The objective is to maintain healthy and resilient forests, minimize socioeconomic impacts from forest pests and raise awareness of forest pests.
• Represent Ontario's interests in inter-governmental initiatives such as the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers and its working groups such as the Forests in Mind Program, whose mandate focuses on supporting strategic decision-making based on market intelligence and ensuring international audiences recognize Canada's forest products as sustainable.
• Update and maintain transparent and accessible data on forest management in Ontario. Report on and communicate information to diverse audiences.

Ministry performance measures and achievements

Detailed financial information

Ministry planned expenditures, 2025-26

Ministry planned operating expenditures by vote, item and sub-item 2025-26

Operating and capital summary by vote

Historic trend analysis

Agencies, boards and commissions

Classified agencies

Algonquin Forestry Authority

• Responsible for forest management, including timber harvesting, in Algonquin Park. The authority sorts, sells and delivers harvested logs to regional mills. It also may advise on, undertake and carry out forestry, land-management and other programs and projects as the Minister may authorize.

Big Game Management Advisory Committee

• Responsible for providing advice to the Minister respecting policy and programs related to the management of species of big game in Ontario and reviews and recommends changes to the allocation of harvesting opportunities for big game.

Fish and Wildlife Heritage Commission

• Established under the Heritage Hunting and Fishing Act, 2002, the Fish and Wildlife Heritage Commission makes recommendations to the Minister on ways to encourage people to value Ontario's fish and wildlife resources, promote more participation in conservation and other programs and to explore new fish and wildlife-related opportunities.

Nawiinginokiima Forest Management Corporation

• Responsible for sustainable forest management and the marketing and selling of wood supplies to both existing forest industry customers and new entrants on 2 forest management units, the Pic and the White River Forests and the proposed addition of a third forest (Nagagami Forest) over the next 2 years.

Niagara Escarpment Commission

• Administers the Niagara Escarpment Plan through promoting the objectives of the plan; processing and making decisions on development permit applications; and making recommendations on plan amendments.

Ontario Geographic Names Board

• Develops policy and principles for naming geographic features and unincorporated places in Ontario. The Board reviews official geographic feature name submissions on behalf of the Minister and enters approved submissions and suitable place name submissions into the official record.

Rabies Advisory Committee

• Provides scientific advice regarding research and management actions towards the elimination of terrestrial rabies from Ontario, rabies surveillance to detect reoccurrence events and proactive strategies to prevent the reoccurrence of rabies in Ontario.

Temagami Forest Management Corporation

• Responsible for sustainable forest management and the marketing and selling of wood supplies to both existing forest industry customers and new entrants on the Temagami Forest management unit.

A classified agency, though established by the government, is not considered part of the ministry. The government appoints most of its members, assigns responsibility to perform a public function and holds the agency to account.

Unclassified agencies

Council of the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors

• Regulates the practice of professional land surveying and governs the profession in accordance with the Surveyors Act, its regulations and by-laws.

Council of the Ontario Professional Foresters Association

• Regulates the practice of forestry and governs its members in accordance with the Professional Foresters Act, 2000, its regulations and by-laws. The governing council manages, administers and oversees the functioning of the association.

Lake of the Woods Control Board

• Regulates the water levels in the Lake of the Woods, Lac Seul and in the Winnipeg and English Rivers between the lake outlets and their confluence. Membership includes representatives from Canada, Ontario and Manitoba.

Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board

• A partnership among Canada, Quebec and Ontario to formulate and review policies that will lead to integrated management of the reservoirs in the Ottawa River basin.

An unclassified agency is excluded from the financial and administrative requirements of the Management Board of Cabinet. The government makes at least 1 appointment to each non-classified agency board.

Expenditure and revenue data for agencies, boards and commissions

Ministry organization chart

• Minister – Natural Resources
  • Parliamentary Assistant
  • Deputy Minister
    • Legal Services Branch
    • Communications Services Branch
    • Niagara Escarpment Commission
    • Executive Advisor
    • Corporate Management and Information Division
      • Digital, Data, Information and Business Services Branch
      • Strategic Human Resources Business Branch
      • Strategic Management and Corporate Services Branch
    • Forest Industry Division
      • Forest Economics and Business Branch
      • Operations Branch
    • Policy Division
      • Crown Forests and Lands Policy Branch
      • Development and Hazard Policy Branch
      • Fish and Wildlife Policy Branch
      • Strategic and Indigenous Policy Branch
    • Provincial Services Division
      • Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services Branch
      • Enforcement Branch
      • Fish and Wildlife Services Branch
      • Science and Research Branch
    • Regional Operations Division
      • Divisional Support Branch
      • Divisional Delivery Branch
      • Northeast Region
      • Northwest Region
      • Southern Region

Download printer-friendly organizational chart

Appendix: 2024-25 Annual report

2024-25 Results

Increase economic opportunities through innovation, collaboration and reducing barriers for business

• The ministry continued to reduce unnecessary barriers and duplication through streamlined processes to support economic development across Ontario, including:
  • Amendments to the Algonquin Forest Authority Act to remove the Lieutenant Governor in Council's authority to appoint a general manager to the Algonquin Forest Authority (AFA) and provide the authority to the AFA Board of Director. This change allows the AFA to manage their own general manager hiring needs in line with similar entities, is responsive to requests from the AFA and is expected to improve attraction and retention of high caliber candidates for this position.
  • Revisions to the forest management manuals that would modernize and streamline business processes while continuing to provide for the sustainable management of Ontario's forests.
• The government introduced Bill 228 Resource Management and Safety Act, 2024 that would help address the challenges Ontario is facing including a projected increase in wildland fire, managing carbon dioxide emissions, hazards posed by certain deteriorating oil and gas wells and supporting rapid infrastructure and housing development. The proposed changes included:
  • Proposed updates to the Forest Fires Prevention Act to strengthen community preparedness and improve wildland fire management. These updates were proposed to help strengthen collective responsibility for wildland fire management, improve awareness of wildland fire risk, expand prevention and mitigation, enhance preparedness and response and strengthen rules and consequences for non-compliance with wildland fire laws.
  • Proposed new legislation, the Geologic Carbon Storage Act, that would support innovation and help manage emissions by enabling the regulation of geologic carbon storage in the province. The proposed legislation contains provisions related to the design, development, operation, maintenance, decommissioning, closure, remediation and restoration of carbon storage sites as well as activities associated with carbon storage.
  • Proposed of changes to the Oil, Gas and Salt Resources Act that would allow the ministry to take immediate action to address hazardous oil and gas wells that pose a public safety risk when an operator is not compliant with a ministry order in certain circumstances such as death or bankruptcy and recover costs of any action taken on the well.
  • Proposed of changes to the Surveyors Act that would help attract new surveyors to the professions by offering new types of surveyor licences, allow internationally trained surveyors to enter the workforce faster, increase the availability of survey services in underserved areas of Ontario, improve the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors' governance structure and provide survey firms with more flexibility to deliver innovative solutions.
  • However, the legislature was dissolved on January 28, 2025 and all incomplete business was terminated including Bill 228.
• Led the delivery of the FSIIP, in cooperation with MEDJCT. FSIIP provides up to $10 million per year for strategic investments in the forestry sector that: improve productivity and innovation; enhance competitiveness; support new market access; strengthen regional economies; and provide benefits to Ontario's broader forest sector (beyond the direct benefits to the Applicant). Since established, the program has approved $51.2 million in funding to leverage over $300 million in new investment, creating approximately 320 new jobs and helping to retain approximately 2,900 existing jobs.
• Through the Provincial Forest Access Roads Funding Program, the ministry supports the construction and maintenance of public access roads in Crown forests that benefit many resource users including the forest industry, mining, utility and railway companies, hunters, trappers, cottagers, Indigenous communities and the public. These roads also provide part of the rural infrastructure for emergency preparedness and response. On average, over 19,500 kilometres of primary and branch roads are maintained by the forest industry each year. Additionally, over 800 kilometres of new primary and branch roads are constructed each year. $59.2 million was provided in 2024-25. Since the program was launched in 2005, it has provided over $1.13 billion in funding.
• Continued implementation of Resource Revenue Sharing (RRS) with Indigenous communities to support reconciliation by enabling Indigenous communities to share in the economic benefits of aggregates, forestry and mining developments.
  • Ontario currently has 10 RRS Agreements - 8 agreements representing 44 First Nations communities and 2 agreements with organizations representing Métis communities. In 2024, Ontario shared $40.06 million with participating First Nations and Métis who may allocate RRS funds towards key priorities that support economic development, education, health, community and cultural development.
  • Since 2018, Ontario has shared approximately $289 million with First Nations and Métis communities.
  • A joint Independent Evaluation for the 2018 RRS Agreements with Grand Council Treaty #3 was concluded and a Final Evaluation Report received in September 2024.
• In the ongoing softwood lumber trade dispute between Canada and the United States, the ministry maintained its strong legal position, provided advocacy on trade issues specific to Ontario's softwood lumber industry and enhanced working relationships with the federal government, other provinces and industry.
  • Continued to work closely with Ontario's in-house and US trade law counsel teams to support litigation efforts by thorough review of all materials prepared for submission to US authorities.
  • Participated in regular discussions with the federal government to advance Ontario's interests in the dispute. The ministry also collaborated with trade teams of other provinces who have a softwood lumber industry.
  • Ministry officials from MNR and MEDJCT provided on the ground support during the first administrative review Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) panel hearing for countervailing duties in Washington, D.C. from September 10 to 13, 2024.
  • Ministry officials from MNR and MEDJCT attended the panel hearing for the softwood lumber anti-dumping duties appeal of the final determination in the US Department of Commerce's first administrative review before a CUSMA Panel from February 16 to 20, 2025.
  • Hosted 30 virtual and 1 face-to-face meeting with Ontario's softwood lumber industry group.
• The ministry supported an increase in domestic consumption through the Ontario Wood program.
• Engaged with forestry themed community colleges (Fleming College, Sault College, Algonquin College) on wood measurement program, career opportunities and scaler licensing.
• Engaged the Outland Youth Employment Program, a national network of land-based education, training and work opportunities for high school aged Indigenous youth, on wood measurement program, career opportunities and scaler licensing.
• Developed and delivered the $10 million Ontario Sawmill Chip Support Program to provide short-term support to licensed Forest Resource Processing Facilities (with a focus on sawmills) impacted by the loss of their pulp and paper mill market for sawmill chips and working with these mills to find and develop alternative solutions for disposal or use of sawmill chips.
• Through the implementation of the FSS, the ministry has:
  • Extended the Forest Biomass Program to help develop new and emerging uses of forest biomass, particularly underutilized forest resources and mill by-products.
  • Assisted small and medium-sized enterprises to access growing global export markets by providing strategic advice and market intelligence and supporting participation in trade missions in diversified markets.
  • Provided funding support for Indigenous communities to build forest economic development strategies, wood supply plans, business plans, fibre supply planning for biomass heating systems, worker training, forestry career pathways and Indigenous business capacity building.
  • Supported education and career promotion efforts to highlight the diversity of meaningful jobs in forestry and its downstream sectors by supporting:
    • interactive presentations and tours that reached thousands of students
    • educator webinars, workshops and events targeting over 1,000 teachers
    • new experiential learning resources developed in collaboration with key forestry education partners
    • Forestry Heavy Equipment Simulator Loan Program, introducing thousands of students to the career opportunities available in operating forestry heavy equipment
    • educational materials promoting our sustainable forest management system
  • Invested $525,000 through FPInnovations for research projects to make Ontario's forest sector more competitive and increase the use of wood. Projects supported in 2024-25 include continued work on evaluating truck configurations for more efficient log transportation, investigating digital transformation of harvesting operations, testing automated scaling, development of an offsite wood construction handbook and conducting fire tests for cross laminated timber flooring. These projects continue to contribute to the efficiency and productivity of Ontario's forest industry.
  • Released an Advanced Wood Construction Action Plan to create forest sector opportunity by positioning Ontario to use more wood in the construction sector, including mid-rise and tall multi-family residential, commercial and industrial buildings.
  • Collaborated with forest sector partners to carry out projects that seek to improve forest industry efficiencies in putting more wood to work, identifying innovation opportunities for technologies and processes and shifting Ontario's building sector towards advanced wood construction and more cost and time effective strategies using wood for non-traditional projects. Examples include:
    • working with government partners to amend building codes, extending the permissible height for buildings constructed of encapsulated mass timber from 12 to 18 storeys
    • supporting the Wood Manufacturing Council's Wood Manufacturing Career Promotion initiative to support workforce development in wood manufacturing
    • A0 developing the Ontario Guide to Construction Site Fire Safety for Wood Buildings
    • supporting WoodWorks Ontario and the Canadian Wood Council to engage with key stakeholders like municipal officials and advanced wood construction manufacturers, to accelerate uptake and increase supply of wood-based building components
    • supporting Ontario universities with research funding to help validate new and innovative wood-based building systems

Service delivery excellence — Deliver programs, services and experiences that are responsive, flexible and efficient

• The ministry continued in its role leading the care and management of Ontario's public lands, including enabling outdoor public recreation opportunities (such as camping).
• Provided fishing and hunting opportunities to approximately 6 million Outdoors Card holders generating over $65 million in fish and wildlife revenue.
• Provided approximately 8 million fish, weighing 200 tonnes, for stocking into 1,200 waterbodies. The 9 provincial fish culture stations grow 26 unique strains of 11 different fish species to support population rehabilitation and to create and enhance angling opportunities. In addition, about 3 million fertilized fish eggs or fry (newly hatched fish) were supplied to community and classroom hatchery partners for eventual stocking into public waters.
• Trained over 21,000 new hunters through the Ontario Hunter Education Program.
• Conducted a survey of bear hunters in Ontario to gather information from clients on their bear hunting activities, expenditures and matters related to bear management across the province to better inform program decision making.
• Issued more than 7,800 trapping licences and trained more than 700 new trappers.
• Improved design specifications for wildlife trapping device (relaxing cable restraint) to be responsive to new research findings and clients that undertake trapping activities in Ontario.
• The Natural Resources Information and Support Centre handled approximately 120,000 inquiries (calls and email) related to fishing, hunting and/or licencing in Ontario.
• MNR conservation officers checked over 160,000 members of the public while on duty. During these contacts with the public, educational messaging pertaining to safe and sustainable natural resource use was relayed as appropriate.
• Leveraged social media and other communication channels to promote public safety and compliance with Ontario's natural resource laws. Social media videos were released promoting compliance around spring turkey hunting season, moose hunting season and promoting ice safety.
• The ministry continued to be a recognized leader in rabies surveillance and control. Since Ontario's recent rabies outbreak began in December 2015, there have been 523 cases of raccoon strain rabies (0 in 2024) and 21 cases of fox strain rabies (no new cases since 2018) confirmed in Southern Ontario. In response, the ministry has distributed over 9 million oral rabies vaccine baits (486,648 in 2024), which help immunize most raccoons, skunks and foxes that eat them.
• Collected fees including rent from 10,000 tenants who occupy Crown land for a range of purposes, including those related to aggregates, land rentals/sales and renewable energy, generating approximately $104.4 million in revenue up to December 31, 2024.
• Provided 700 Crown Patent records to clients from April 1, 2024, to January 13, 2025.
• Served more than 515 Ontario Wood partners by promoting their businesses to the people of Ontario through brand awareness that wood products from Ontario come from responsibly and sustainably managed public forests.
• Provided services to the forest industry and to communities through the implementation of the FSS. Examples include:
  • In January 2025, announced a $10 million loan to Kap Paper Inc., protecting approximately 2,500 direct, indirect and induced jobs in Kapuskasing and the surrounding region, which depend on the company's ongoing operation.
  • Developed an Indigenous capacity building and skills development toolkit and guidebook that identifies available capacity building resources and the supports required for Indigenous communities to capitalize on forest biomass opportunities.
  • In 2023-24, the Indigenous Bioeconomy Partnerships (IBP) stream of the Forest Biomass Program, invested $2.9 million across various initiatives to support 13 Indigenous businesses and communities to become more active in the forest sector and to lead the development of a forest bioeconomy. In addition, from the 2024-25 May intake, the FBP is investing in 7 IBP projects for over $1.6 million.
  • Collected more than 400,000 kilometres² of LiDAR data for Ontario's managed forests to support the production of LiDAR enhanced forest resource inventories, which will inform the development of forest management plans that will be implemented between 2028 and 2037.
  • Enhanced the virtual delivery of the self-study portion of the Provincial Scaling Course, conducted the course and issued scaler's licences to 23 new scalers and hosted 2 regional scaler refresher courses.
  • Supported engagement with fire services, municipal building officials, the insurance industry and other key building sector stakeholders to educate and disseminate resources related to wood and mass timber construction through tall wood building tours, webinars, industry association conferences and other venues to grow market share for Ontario's value-added forest products.
• Enhanced Ontario's forest policy framework to modernize and digitize service delivery and support the FSS. Results in 2024-25 include:
  • Consulted with Indigenous communities, stakeholders and the public on proposed changes to the regulated manuals under the Crown Forest Sustainability Act, 1994 (CFSA) and associated technical specifications. Key proposed changes include modernizing the process to develop the strategic direction in a forest management plan, enabling community-based forest management initiatives in Ontario's Far North and ensuring the effective and efficient exchange of forest information. The forest manuals were approved for implementation July 1, 2024.
  • Consulted with Indigenous communities, stakeholders and the public on proposed changes to independent forest audit policies under Ontario's Independent Forest Audit regulation (Ontario Regulation 319/20 under the CFSA. The independent forest audit policy was approved in December 2024 for implementation with 2025 audits.
• Provincial lead for the Eastern Habitat Joint Venture (EHJV), a collaborative partnership of government and non-government organizations working together across Canada to conserve wetlands and other habitats that are important for waterfowl and migratory birds. Projects implemented by the EHJV support the goals and objectives of the North American Wetland Conservation Act and the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.
• Geospatial Ontario — The ministry began implementation of Geospatial Ontario with a digital-first mandate to reduce costs, open and equalize data, manage geospatial data as a strategic enterprise asset, deliver solutions that are built once and benefit all ministries, reduce duplication and modernize the geospatial IT infrastructure.
  • Transitioned the Land information Ontario program into Geospatial Ontario to provide modern, open access to mapping data and tools for all ministries to support decision making and service delivery. Removed costs for government and organizations to access current aerial imagery critical for mapping, land use planning, housing development, infrastructure projects, environmental monitoring and other priorities. Implementation results:
    • 26 of 30 ministries are using geospatial data and services, with the remaining 4 to onboard in 2025-26
    • equalized access to Ontario Parcel data for all ministries
    • opened access to aerial imagery data by removing costs and wait times that previously prevented ministries, organizations and businesses from accessing the data they need
    • projects are underway to modernize the geospatial IT infrastructure and develop a new data maintenance and storage solution, benefitting all Geospatial Ontario users
    • worked with partner ministries to explore creation of new provincial flood hazards and service locations data sets to be made available to the public
• The Geospatial Ontario support desk responded to over 10,000 inquiries about Ontario's geospatial data and services.
• MNR processes more than 178 approval types resulting in more than 2 million interactions annually. The ministry is committed to expanding online access to licensing and permitting services and is working to develop and enable interactive forms in alignment with the Ontario Digital Standard. As of December 2024:
  • 50% of applications are now available online, with interactive forms currently being piloted for 9 approval types
• As part of Ontario's commitment to make it easier for businesses to work with government, MNR:
  • developed and posted 30 service standards clearly communicating how long business clients can expect for the processing of business permits and licences
  • collaborated with the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement, to support and guide At Your Service Act, 2022 implementation
  • helped businesses find out what permits and licences are needed by posting information about 15 permits as part of the Single Window for Business initiative

Sustainable resource management — maintain healthy and diverse natural resources and ecosystems that are resilient to change

• Collaborated with multiple provincial and federal government agencies and partners to conduct SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, surveillance in certain wildlife species. In 2024, additional surveillance work was completed and researchers began preparing publications to document the study findings.
• Conducted applied forest research and published research results to support resource management decision-making regarding climatic effects on forests, beech leaf disease, forest management, seed transfer, forest regeneration and wood product carbon sequestration.
• The Fish and Wildlife program continued to implement Ontario's Sustainable Bait Management Strategy, reducing the ecological risks associated with using and moving bait while providing transparency and certainty to support a sustainable bait industry.
• Sampled 85 of Ontario's inland lakes as part of the ministry's broad-scale monitoring program to describe status and trends of fish species important to recreational, commercial and subsistence fisheries. Focused monitoring was also conducted on provincially significant inland fisheries, including Lake Simcoe and Lake Nipissing. Recreational angler creel surveys were conducted on Lake of the Woods, Lake Simcoe, Lake Nipissing and Rice Lake to help understand fishing pressure and catch.
• In the Lake Erie Management Unit, work is underway in conjunction with US agencies and US and Canadian stakeholders to update yellow perch and walleye management plans supporting economically beneficial and sustainable use of the fisheries resources.
• Supported the commercial fishery through a Minister's Panel. This panel met regularly throughout 2024 to discuss unique issues facing the commercial fishery and fishers and supported industry developed solutions.
• To ensure Ontario's Crown forests in the north remain healthy, diverse and productive, the ministry, in partnership with the Forest Industry and through consultation with the public and Indigenous communities, has implemented an Insect Pest Management Program in the Northeast Region over the last 3 fiscal years with a focus on aerial treatment efforts of a biological insecticide to prevent and manage the ongoing spruce budworm infestation. Over this time, the ministry has treated over 450,000 hectares and has seen favorable results on areas treated.
• The Ministry's Forest Health program supported the Insect Pest Management Program for spruce budworm by conducting pre-treatment samples to inform the timing of spray delivery and collected post-treatment efficacy results across the treatment area. Additionally, conducted annual aerial surveys to assess defoliation due to insect pests and other forest disturbances and provided forecasts to inform the pest management planning for 2025.
• The ministry continued to implement the OWMN. OWMN measures wildlife responses to the combined effects of broad-scale changes to habitat, climate, species interactions and management actions such as forestry. The monitoring addresses multiple science needs including knowledge about the state of Ontario's natural resources, relationships between wildlife and their habitats, pressures affecting wildlife and effects of natural resource management decisions.
• Ongoing work with deer hunters to conduct comprehensive CWD monitoring to ensure rapid detection and response should the disease enter the province. Two surveillance zones in Southern Ontario, were monitored for CWD in 2024. To date, the disease has not been detected in any sample.
• MNR's provincial growth and yield (G&Y) program develops science-based products and tools that help MNR understand how forests change over time and support sustainable forest management. The program collects repeated measured data from fixed field plots to produce yield models, growth projections and succession pathways that are used by planning teams to develop forest management plans to ensure a continuous and predictable wood supply for a broad range of forest products. In 2024, the G&Y program:
  • collected data from 145 permanent sampling plots and 15 temporary sampling plots and measured 23 National Forest Inventory (NFI) ground plots for the NRCan NFI program
  • developed growth rate models for Red Oak, Cedar and Hemlock and revised Standard Forest Units for the northeast Boreal region to support forest management planning
  • collaborated with various internal and external partners on 6 G&Y related projects funded by Forestry Future Trust and the NRCan Canadian Wood Fibre Centre
  • participated in NRCan's national initiative on climate sensitive growth and yield modeling
  • the development of Forest Vegetation Simulator (Ontario variant) technical document is underway

Public safety - Strengthen efforts to keep people and property safe from natural resource emergencies and while they participate in outdoor activities

• Ontario is recognized internationally as a leader in wildland fire management and remains committed to preserving and protecting our natural resources. The ministry has a renewed focus on adopting a risk-reduction approach to wildland fire management and supporting a shift to a whole-of-society approach to wildland fire and risk reduction. Ontario is an active partner in the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers led steering committee for the implementation of the pan-Canadian Strategy for Prevention and Mitigation.
• In the 2024 fire season, Ontario had 480 wildland fires and 89,841.3 hectares burned across the province. This was below the 10-year average (2014-2023) of 694 fires and 201,780.9 hectares burned. By comparison, in 2023 Ontario had 741 fires and 441,474.1 hectares burned.
• The largest fire in 2024 was Red Lake 014 at 18,704.7 hectares in size. This was a monitored fire located in the northern part of the Red Lake Sector along the Manitoba border. The fire started July 30 and was called Out on October 16.
• The ministry engages in Mutual Aid Resource Sharing Agreements with other jurisdictions in times of escalated fire emergency that allow for the sharing of personnel, equipment and aircraft between the agencies. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre provides guidance and coordination support for resource movements, nationally and internationally, on behalf of all provinces.
• During the 2024 fire season, Ontario received 3 air operations specialists from the United States Forest Service to enhance mutual aid resource sharing effectiveness and efficiency through operational exchanges of specialized technical experts.
• During the 2024 fire season, Ontario provided ongoing support to national partners deploying 786 personnel, 14 aircraft and equipment to support efforts in Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador and Northwest Territories and the US.
• Throughout both the 2024 fire and flood seasons, the MNR aviation, fire and emergency management programs worked cooperatively with Indigenous partners and communities, sharing incident information and coordinating operational responses.
• Leveraged social media, including new Aviation Forest Fire Emergency Services branded accounts and other communication channels to promote public safety, awareness and compliance to rules for outdoor fires under the Forest Fires Prevention Act, as well as to increase public understanding of wildland fire prevention, fire hazard, wildland fire management and response and mitigating the risk of loss and damage to properties and values from wildland fire through the FireSmart program.
• Through the Ontario FireSmart Communities Transfer Payment program, organized municipalities applied for funding to assist with the development of hazard forest maps and Community Wildland Fire Protection Plans which identify mitigation recommendations and strategies to reduce wildland fire hazards.
• The ministry continued with annual fire season partner briefing protocols aimed at improving the knowledge and situational awareness of critical response partners, stakeholders and groups affected by wildland fire and smoke. Indigenous partners/communities as well as partners in municipalities, industry and OPS emergency management were engaged in advance of fire season and as required during the fire season (hundreds of different participants over escalated response periods).
• Lead for the continued implementation of Protecting People and Property: Ontario's Flooding Strategy, released in March 2020. The strategy includes commitments from 6 provincial ministries and partners in over 90 initiatives spread across the pillars of emergency management. Highlights are:
  • Continuation of the province's partnership with the federal government to provide high quality water level and flow information for watercourses across the province, which helps to determine the potential for flooding and aids in the provision of early warning messages for flooding.
  • Engagement with municipalities, watershed partners and other key stakeholders in Muskoka, Magnetawan and Upper Ottawa River areas to ensure that the reasons for water management decisions are clearly explained.
  • Continuation of Ontario's support, through participation on various committees of the International Joint Commission, which contributes to the ongoing management of water levels and flows in the Great Lakes.
  • Ongoing implementation of the Flood Hazard Identification and Mapping Program, in partnership with the Federal government. Beginning in 2024-25, up to $15 million will be provided over 4 years, most of which will go to interested municipalities and conservation authorities to support local flood mapping projects and initiatives.
• The Surface Water Monitoring Centre (SWMC):
  • Issued 79 flood messages and 16 low water messages in 2024-25.
  • Collaborated with Environment and Climate Change Canada to ensure efficient operations for approximately 600 water monitoring stations at a cost of $5.6 million.
  • Continued to collaborate with partners to collect data for spring-melt flood forecasting in Dryden District.
  • Continued to co-fund a collaborative research agreement between MNR and University of Waterloo to develop and test computer models for flow forecasting in Ontario.
  • After 2 years of development, SWMC is using a newly updated Antecedent Precipitation Index Model (API) for decision-making. API is a mathematical technique to estimate the amount of runoff that may generate flood potential in Ontario.
  • An OPS-wide initiative to update corporate IT infrastructure resulted in improved performance and reliability of SWMC's mission-critical applications.
• Supported natural hazard management, flood and erosions operations (including flood/erosion control structures, flood forecasting and warning and ice management), by providing $3.845 million in grant funding to the 36 conservation authorities, plus $5 million in capital funding to 17 conservation authorities for water and erosion control infrastructure projects (studies and repairs).
• Continued support to the Municipality of Chatham-Kent in their continued efforts to investigate the site and support recovery from the Wheatley explosion in August 2021.
• Developed foundational geospatial data, mapping tools and technical infrastructure to support the ministry's response in protecting the public from natural disasters, including forest fires and floods.
  • Collected 18,000 square kilometres of LiDAR data and 36,000 square kilometres of aerial photography and updated more than 8,000 kilometres of roads, 6,000 kilometres of trails and 3,700 kilometres of shorelines along the Great Lakes.

Organizational leadership - Build a workplace culture that is adaptable and collaborative and where employees are valued and engaged to contribute

• The ministry prepared and tabled Bill 228, Resource Management and Safety Act, 2024 that included:
  • Updates to the Forest Fires Prevention Act (proposed to be the Wildland Fire Management Act) to strengthen community preparedness and improve wildland fire management. These updates were proposed to help strengthen collective responsibility for wildland fire management, improve awareness of wildland fire risk, expand prevention and mitigation, enhance preparedness and response and strengthen rules and consequences for non-compliance with wildland fire laws.
  • However, the legislature was dissolved on January 28, 2025 and all incomplete business was terminated including Bill 228, which included the proposed updates to the Forest Fires Prevention Act.
• The ministry consulted on amendments to regulations under the Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act to expand existing exemptions for development that do not require a development permit.
• Created a new regulation under the Conservation Authorities Act, to set out the circumstances under which the ministry may use powers to make permitting decisions in the place of a conservation authority or review a conservation authority's permitting decision and establish a transparent process for individuals or businesses to request the use of these powers.
• Developed and implemented the annual $4.5 million work plan, continuing to make progress on commitments under the provincial-federal Canada-Ontario Agreement on Great Lakes Water Quality and Ecosystem Health (COA) relating to: aquatic invasive species; habitat, species and ecosystems; water management; areas of concern and climate change. The COA is the primary mechanism with which Canada meets its obligations under the bi-national Canada United States Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
• As part of ongoing efforts to protect Ontario's environment and economy from the impacts of invasive species, MNR continued to implement the Invasive Species Act, 2015, including regulation of, 42 species, 4 groups, 1 family and 2 carriers that pose a high-risk to the province.
• Investing $16 million over 3 years to support the Invasive Species Action Fund (ISAP) and Ontario Phragmites Action Program. The first year of this investment in 2024-25 enabled funding for 97 projects, including 61 Indigenous groups and communities and 84 municipalities, under the ISAP, as well as support for 20+ local working groups and 38 projects for coordinated action to address invasive Phragmites across the province.
• Collaborated with Canadian jurisdictions on fisheries opportunities through the Canadian Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers to help address issues like climate change, invasive species and international market access and development.
• Continued to work with partners to raise awareness and educate the public about regulated invasive species, with a particular focus on preventing the spread of invasive species through the movement of watercraft and invasive species in trade. Additionally, MNR invested in and worked with partners to monitor and manage several high-risk invasive species including water soldier, hydrilla, water chestnut, marbled crayfish, wild pigs and invasive carp.
• Collaborated with Canadian jurisdictions through the Canadian Conservation, Wildlife and Biodiversity Ministers on the development of Canada's 2030 Nature Strategy which aligns with MNR's ongoing efforts to sustainably manage Ontario's natural resources and biodiversity.
• Developed and implemented changes to Ontario's hunter reporting penalty framework to support wildlife management data collection and decision-making.
• Developed and implemented new train and trial area licensing program to support government direction to allow for new licences to be issued.
• Collaborated with MECP to deliver on parks priorities by pursuing regulatory amendments under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997 (FWCA), to enable the continuation of hunting in provincial parks to ensure consistency of FWCA regulations with existing park management plans.
• Collaborated with MECP on land-use amendments and regulations plans to support the addition of Crown lands to the Ontario Parks system.
• Delivered legislated tax incentive programs and stewardship granting programs for landowners, stakeholders and partners, including Indigenous organizations and individuals.
  • The Canada Ontario Resource Development Agreement provided $500,000 in funding to 38 First Nation communities to support trapping, natural resource management, traditional land-based activities and conservation in Ontario.
• Collaborated with Canadian jurisdictions on forestry opportunities through the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers to help address issues like environmental reputation, Indigenous relations, forest pests, climate change and forest fire management.
• Supported the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors, the regulator for the land survey industry, in accordance with the Surveyors Act, by maintaining a presence at council to serve and protect the public interest and contribute to regulatory change.
• Provided public access to 425 open data sets, plus thousands of associated and derived datasets through Ontario GeoHub, a data discovery and access tool that allows users to download or stream the data they need. The number of Ontario GeoHub users remained steady at 270,000 users.
• Maintained key foundation geospatial data sets including over 260,000 kilometres of roads and over 75,000 square kilometres of water for accurate mapping, location-based analysis and service delivery.
• Partnered with all levels of government, conservation authorities, the private sector and other organizations to acquire 36,000 square kilometres of aerial photography in Eastern Ontario.
• Provided land survey support to Ministry of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation on 35 active files including 8 land claims in various stages.
• Digitized over 174,000 Crown survey records to ensure these important documents are preserved and accessible to future generations.
• Responded to over 1,000 requests for Crown records.
• The ministry continues to improve the client service experience by modernizing access to approvals online. Two approvals (Ice Hut Registrations and Hunting from a Stationary Vehicle) were added to the Fish and Wildlife Licensing Service. In 2024 there have been 82 hunting from stationary vehicle authorizations issued and 8,350 ice hut registrations.

For additional financial information:

• Expenditure Estimates
• Public Accounts of Ontario
• 2025 Ontario Budget

Who to call

For questions or comments, please contact:

Office of the Minister of Natural Resources
Whitney Block, Room 6630
99 Wellesley Street West Toronto, Ontario
M7A 1W3
Phone: 416-314-2301

Further information about the ministry and its programs can be found on the ministry's website.

We are committed to providing accessible customer service. If you need accessible formats or communications supports, please contact henric.wiegenbroeker@ontario.ca.