Vol. 150, No. 12 — June 15, 2016

Registration

SI/2016-31 June 15, 2016

SPECIES AT RISK ACT

Order Acknowledging Receipt of the Assessments Done Pursuant to Subsection 23(1) of the Act

P.C. 2016-426 June 3, 2016

His Excellency the Governor General in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister of the Environment, acknowledges receipt, on the making of this Order, of assessments conducted under subsection 23(1) of the Species at Risk Act (see footnote a) by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada with respect to the species set out in the annexed schedule.

SCHEDULE

Endangered Species

ARTHROPODS

Clubtail, Olive (Stylurus olivaceus)

Gomphe olive

Efferia, Okanagan (Efferia okanagana)

Asile de l’Okanagan

Hairstreak, Behr’s (Satyrium behrii)

Porte-queue de Behr

LICHENS

Lichen, Batwing Vinyl (Leptogium platynum)

Leptoge à grosses spores

Threatened Species

BIRDS

Screech-owl kennicottii subspecies, Western (Megascops kennicottii kennicottii)

Petit-duc des montagnes de la sous-espèce kennicottii

Screech-owl macfarlanei subspecies, Western (Megascops kennicottii macfarlanei)

Petit-duc des montagnes de la sous-espèce macfarlanei

PLANTS

Cryptantha, Tiny (Cryptantha minima)

Cryptanthe minuscule

LICHENS

Lichen, Crumpled Tarpaper (Collema coniophilum)

Collème bâche

Special Concern

MAMMALS

Pika, Collared (Ochotona collaris)

Pica à collier

BIRDS

Grebe, Horned (Podiceps auritus) Western population

Grèbe esclavon population de l’Ouest

Sandpiper, Buff-breasted (Tryngites subruficollis)

Bécasseau roussâtre

Sparrow, Baird’s (Ammodramus bairdii)

Bruant de Baird

MOLLUSCS

Mantleslug, Magnum (Magnipelta mycophaga)

Limace à grand manteau

ARTHROPODS

Tachinid Fly, Dune (Germaria angustata)

Mouche tachinide des dunes

PLANTS

Buffalograss (Bouteloua dactyloides)

Buchloé faux-dactyle

Lily, Lyall’s Mariposa (Calochortus lyallii)

Calochorte de Lyall

Prairie-clover, Hairy (Dalea villosa)

Dalée velue

LICHENS

Lichen, Peacock Vinyl (Leptogium polycarpum)

Leptoge à quatre spores

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order.)

Proposal

Order to acknowledge receipt of the assessments from the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) regarding the status of 18 wildlife species under paragraph 15(1)(a) in accordance with subsection 23(1) of the Species at Risk Act (SARA).

Objective

The objective of this Order is for his Excellency the Governor General in Council (GIC), on the recommendation of the Minister of the Environment, to acknowledge receipt of the assessments undertaken pursuant to subsection 23(1) of the Species at Risk Act by the COSEWIC with respect to the wildlife species set out in the annexed schedule of the Order.

Background

Some wildlife species in Canada face pressures and threats that put them at risk of extirpation or extinction. Many serve important biological functions or have intrinsic, recreational and existence value to the Canadian public, and require conservation and protection to ensure healthy ecosystems for future generations.

The purpose of SARA is to prevent wildlife species from being extirpated or becoming extinct; to provide for the recovery of wildlife species that are extirpated, endangered or threatened as a result of human activity; and to manage species of special concern to prevent them from becoming endangered or threatened. COSEWIC was formed as an independent scientific body in 1977 with a mandate to provide a single, official, scientifically sound, national classification of wildlife species at risk in Canada. With the proclamation of SARA in 2003, COSEWIC was established as an advisory body and was given the responsibility of providing the Minister of the Environment with assessments of the status of Canadian wildlife species.

Of the eighteen wildlife species assessments included in this Order, eleven are new assessments and seven are recommendations for reclassification of a species already on the List of Wildlife Species at Risk (the List) set out in Schedule 1 to SARA. Four of these species are assessed as endangered, four as threatened and ten as special concern.

Implications

Under subsection 27(1.1) of SARA, the GIC, within nine months after receiving COSEWIC’s assessment of the status of a species, may review the assessment and, on the recommendation of the Minister of the Environment, may accept the assessment and add the species to the List, decide not to add the species to the List, or refer the matter back to COSEWIC for further information or consideration. Under subsection 27(1) of SARA, the GIC may also, on the recommendation of the Minister of the Environment, reclassify or remove a listed species.

In addition, under subsection 27(2) of SARA, before making a recommendation to the GIC, the Minister of the Environment must take into account COSEWIC’s assessment of the status of a species. The Minister of the Environment is the competent minister with respect to all wildlife species to which this Order applies. Furthermore, if a species is found in an area in respect of which a wildlife management board is authorized by a land claims agreement to perform functions in respect of a wildlife species, the Minister of the Environment must consult that wildlife management board.

Under subsection 27(3) of SARA, within nine months after receiving a COSEWIC assessment, if the Governor in Council has not taken a course of action under subsection 27(1.1) of SARA, the Minister must, by order, amend the List in accordance with COSEWIC’s assessment. However, in regard to this Order, this nine month timeline does not apply to the seven assessments for reclassification, as these species are already on the List.

Consultation

Initial consultations with interested stakeholders and members of the public were undertaken in 2009, from December 2011 to February 2012 and from January 2013 to March 2013. These consultations will be summarized in the Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement (RIAS) that will accompany the proposed Order to amend Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act.

Three species included in this Order underwent extended consultations. The Horned Grebe (Western population), the Buff-breasted Sandpiper and the Collared Pika underwent extended consultation with wildlife management boards, as they are found in areas in which wildlife management boards are authorized by a land claims agreement to perform functions in respect of a wildlife species. These consultations are now complete and the species are ready to be put forward for receipt.

Departmental contact

Caroline Ladanowski
Director
Wildlife Program Support Division
Canadian Wildlife Service
Department of the Environment
351 St-Joseph Boulevard, 16th Floor
Gatineau, Quebec
K1A 0H3
Telephone: 819-938-4105