If you hold species-at-risk authorizations under the former Endangered Species Act, the window to make substantive changes to them is closing. After December 31, 2026, only administrative amendments will be permitted on transitioned authorizations. This is a practical checklist to work through well before that date, on any Ontario project that touches species at risk:
- Inventory every ESA-era authorization your projects rely on: permits, agreements, and registered conditional exemptions.
- Flag which are carried over under transition rules. Only administrative amendments are allowed after December 31, 2026.
- For each active or planned activity, classify it: registrable, permit-required, or excepted.
- Confirm whether a protected species or its habitat is present, using current field data rather than an old study.
- Reassess habitat under the narrowed dwelling-place definition. Do not assume prior habitat mapping still governs.
- Prepare or update the conservation plan, signed by a qualified professional.
- Check the federal overlay: the Species at Risk Act, Fisheries Act, and Migratory Birds Convention Act, where relevant.
- Register in the Species Conservation Registry and keep the confirmation before any work begins.
- Diarize the monitoring and reporting obligations set out in the applicable regulation.
- When unsure whether an activity is registrable or permit-required, get a professional opinion before you break ground, not after.
PRI’s environmental and natural-sciences teams can run this review with you.
Contact Our Team.
We would love to hear more about you and the project that you have in mind.
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Melony Catana, AScT
Practice Lead, Ecology & Environment
melony.catana@priengineering.com