Part A – purpose

The purpose of the Protocol is to facilitate a collaborative approach to protect Ontario's fish and fish habitat during the planning and implementation of forest management activities on managed Crown forests in the Province through the application of relevant federal and provincial legislation, regulations, policies and programs identified herein. The forestry protocol implementation team (FPIT) is established as a result of the Protocol.

Part B – roles and responsibilities

The responsibilities of the FPIT are to address issues and actions within the scope of the Protocol including:

  • periodical review of the Protocol to ensure consistency with the agencies roles and responsibilities, legislative, regulatory and policy amendments and other recommended changes
  • creation of harmonized policies, water crossing standards, guidelines, and avoidance and mitigation measures to guide decisions in protecting fish and fish habitat on Crown forests in Ontario
  • annual compliance and effectiveness monitoring and reporting to ensure protection measures are carried out consistently and effectively as identified in section 7 (part 2.2)
  • annual reporting on Protocol related activities in a given fiscal year as identified in section 7 (part 2.0) of the Protocol
  • development and delivery of coordinated training opportunities for staff and forest industry representatives by providing input into policy transfer and training planning
  • act as a mediator to facilitate issue resolutions in collaboration with relevant Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) and Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) parties
  • other duties as assigned related to the Protocol; and
  • provide regular updates to Canada‐Ontario Fisheries Advisory Board (CONFAB)

Part C – membership

The FPIT consists of members from both MNRF and DFO including:

MNRF

  • MNRF designated Co-Chair (TBD)
  • MNRF, Aquatic Ecologist, Fisheries Section, Fish and Wildlife Policy Branch
  • MNRF, Provincial Forest Management Planning Specialist, Forest Management Planning Unit, Crown Forest and Land Policy Branch
  • MNRF, Senior Program Advisor - Forestry, Coordination Unit, Integration Branch
  • Additional MNRF staff with operational experience will be solicited to join the FPIT (e.g. Regional Biologist, District Management Biologists)

DFO

  • Co-Chair: DFO designated chair (TBD)
  • DFO, Manager, Provincial/Territorial Partnerships, Aquatic Ecosystems
  • DFO, Coordinator, Client Liaison and Partnerships (Ontario), Aquatic Ecosystems

When necessary, the FPIT may invite guests to attend meetings and address specific agenda items. Furthermore, representatives from the forest industry and MNRF practitioners will be able to participate and contribute to FPIT on an as needed basis.

Part D – administration

Governance

  • Two co-chairs responsible for coordinating FPIT meetings and actions.
  • Managers from respective MNRF and DFO sections/units involved in the FPIT will designate co-chairs.
  • A Member at Large can be designated as well to perform secretariat and administrative roles as necessary.
  • Any reporting and proposed amendments to the Protocol shall be done in accordance with section G-3 of the Protocol Agreement.

Reporting

  • Annual reporting requirements are identified in section 7 (part 2.1) of the Protocol and a template to support MNRF in completing these reports in provided in appendix 5.
  • MNRF’s Program Coordination Section (Integration Branch) will complete the annual reporting template (appendix 5) after provincial data becomes available on March 1st of the fiscal year following submission of the forest management unit’s annual reports.
  • An annual report, that includes appendix 5 of the Protocol, will be prepared by MNRF's Fisheries Section and DFO's Partnerships Unit and presented to CONFAB annually.
  • The annual report presented to CONFAB will also include other updates and activities undertaken by FPIT throughout the fiscal year.

Commitment

  • Semi-annual meetings will be arranged based on the availability of FPIT members in advance of CONFAB meetings. Meetings will be held in-person or by teleconference but it is anticipated most will be done via teleconference.
  • In addition to these semi-annual meetings, it is anticipated that members will be required to dedicate some additional time on tasks related to the roles and responsibilities of the FPIT (i.e. reviewing, reporting, monitoring, etc.).