Nature Canada says application ‘did not meet the overall entry-level threshold for certification’
Orillia has been recognized as a bee-friendly city, but getting a designation of a bird-friendly city is another kettle of fish.
The city’s bird-friendly working group applied to Nature Canada in September to be designated as a bird-friendly city. It recently got an email report back from Nature Canada saying, “The application did not meet the overall entry-level threshold for certification,” according to a council information package.
Orillia’s score was 18 out of 50.
Matt Thomson, a local environmentalist and member of the bird-friendly working group in Orillia, said the bee-friendly city application was an “easy” one-page item, whereas the bird-friendly city application is an “extensive” 52-page application.
“I’ve been working on it for over three years,” said Thomson, who started the work under Sustainable Orillia and then joined the three-member bird-friendly working group this year.
“We worked on it all summer,” added Coun. Jay Fallis, also a member of the working group. “There were a lot of hurdles in drafting the report. It’s quite a high standard.”
The Nature Canada report card read, “We recognize the hard work that has gone into your application and strongly believe that with more details provided as well as implementing the feedback (further into the report card), Orillia is well on its way to entry-level certification the next time you choose to apply.”
The application requires buy-in from many sectors of the community, including the Indigenous community. The three main categories of the application are:
Threat reduction
Habitat protection, restoration and climate resiliency
Community outreach and education
Orillia scored five out of 19 for threat reduction, nine out of 18 for habitat protection (which met the entry level) and four out of 13 for community outreach and education.
“I read through the comments and some of it asked for more detail, but I think where we took the biggest hits were the lack of services and programs in place to meet the criteria. We had drawn on expertise on the area within Orillia,” Fallis said.
The community engagement section requires schools get involved in environmental education and at-risk youth be provided with bird education. The application was criticized for not having a program for at-risk youth.
The application requires a no-roam bylaw for cats and dogs and collaboration with local animal shelters.
“We met with the Comfie Cat Shelter and we reached out to the OSPCA, too, and the Comfie Cat Shelter didn’t want to get involved in the bird thing,” said Thomson.
Other naturalist groups were hesitant to get involved, and to get a designation, more buy-in will be needed from more organizations, he added.
Fallis and Thomson haven’t yet decided if they will reapply, but Fallis said the comments point out areas where the city can improve.
“It gives us a real sense for where we can improve the application if we do decide to reapply,” said Fallis.
He said his September inquiry motion approved by council has requested a staff report by March about initiatives the city can undertake to promote bird life in the Orillia. One example is installing window tape dots that lessen bird deaths by window strikes.
The bird-friendly working group needs more members as the the third member is having a baby.
“It’s a matter of getting more help and more community buy-in in this,” said Thomson.
The purpose of the application is to raise awareness of urban wildlife, he added.
“We are trying to help our area become more wildlife friendly. It’s a way to make some progress and work towards the city’s environmental sustainability goals.”
The idea of a bird-friendly city designation came up in the community about four years ago, said Fallis.
“To put an application forward was a really positive step. There is still a ways to go. I think we could get there, but it’s not going to happen overnight.”
Barrie, Kawartha Lakes and Toronto are among the municipalities that have the designation.