Minister of Natural Resources (Ontario)
| Ministère des Richesses naturelles et des Forêts (French) | |
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 The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry headquarters at Robinson Place in Peterborough |
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| Ministry of the Government of Ontario overview | |
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| Formed | 1972 |
| Headquarters | Peterborough |
| Minister responsible | |
| Website | https://www.ontario.ca/ministry-natural-resources-forestry |
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) is a government ministry of the Canadian province of Ontario that is responsible for Ontario’s provincial parks, forests, fisheries, wildlife, mineral aggregates and the Crown lands and waters that make up 87 per cent of the province. Its offices are divided into Northwestern, Northeastern and Southern Ontario regions with the main headquarters in Peterborough, Ontario.
The current Ontario Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry is Kathryn McGarry.
The first government office was the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Northern District of North America, created in 1763 and initially headed by Samuel Holland. In 1827, this function was taken over by the newly created Commissioner of Crown Lands.
From 1867 to 1972, these responsibilities were conferred on the following Commissioners and Ministers:
From 1970, the Department of Mines became the Department of Mines and Northern Affairs, a predecessor of the current Ministry of Northern Development and Mines. The Department of Lands and Forests became the Ministry of Natural Resources in 1972. From 1995 to 1997 Natural Resources and Northern Development and Mines were under a single super ministry. In 2014 the ministry was renamed Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, but responsibilities did not change.
MNRF is organized into divisions; within each division are branches/regions, sections, and units.
The Ministry is responsible for:
The ministry also has responsibility for the Office of the Mining & Lands Commissioner and the Niagara Escarpment Commission agencies.
Ontario Parks protects significant natural and cultural resources in a system of parks and protected areas.
The Ministry’s Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services (AFFES) program coordinates forest fire detection, monitoring, suppression and public information and education services for Ontario. AFFES also provides aviation services for the Ontario government and leads emergency management planning and response for natural hazards such as forest fires, floods, erosion, dam failures, unstable soils and bedrock, droughts and oil and gas emergencies.
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