Donations: Any donations made on change.org will go to promoting the petition through the change.org team. To donate toward turtle rehab and conservation please visit The Ontario Conservation Centre.

Updates: For updates please scroll to the bottom of the petition. Updates include wildlife barrier fencing completed by Royal Botanical Gardens (2024). While this petition is NOT part of this work it is a victory for wildlife that greatly reduces road fatality. This petition will continue to gather signatures in favor of updated structures and tunnels to secure safe passage for turtles and for seasonal movements like breeding and nest laying.

The petition (Amended to account for 2024 upgrades): 

The community has succeeded in recreating a healthy environment for Cootes that has welcomed the return of a variety of wildlife that calls Dundas its home. However, further action is needed. Now is time that we honour this work. Let us build upon what has been achieved by protecting that wildlife with the appropriate structures that would ensure the safe crossing of our neighbouring creatures.

Every year between April to October turtles travel between wetland habitats in search of mates, nest laying, and to search for feeding opportunities. This is an irrefutable fact. The addition of adequate crossings is crucial in minimising the effects of habitat fragmentation as well as ensuring access for turtles natural seasonal movements including egg laying and breeding, critical to bringing back a waning population. Alternatively a lack of crossings could be detrimental to maintaining genetic diversity among future populations. We must continue to invest in undoing the damage that has been done. 

Simply put, the statistics do not lie. All eight of Ontario's turtle species are classified as being at risk or endangered. To make matters worse, the road's intrusion through our wetlands has caused countless losses. This makes the mission of increasing the population of these vanishing creatures all the more critical to both wildlife and conservationists alike.

Currently, tunnels do exist under Cootes Drive, unfortunately, they have not been adequately maintained. The tunnels appear to be packed with mud, vegetation, litter and other debris. In many cases the tunnels appear mostly submerged and the four lane road is so wide it is impossible to see if the tunnels are even clear enough for wildlife to pass through. (It is worth noting that to flush or auger these existing tunnels with traditional methods may harm existing wildlife inside, so great care would need to be taken.) The out of date design lacking the necessary skylights do not allow light into the tunnels and may be keeping turtles from using them entirely. One solution is grated top designs such as those pictured in the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre eco package brochure, which can be found on their website. (Brochures & Handouts – Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre). These grated designs allow inside the currently lacking necessary light, and also allow easier access for maintenance such as cleaning out debris. 

The tunnels need to be accompanied by structural designs that direct and encourage turtles and other vulnerable wildlife to use the underpasses rather than roadways. Without the crucial structures of barricades and corralling to guide wildlife directly toward the tunnels, they simply will not be used. Placement and quantity must be sufficient to guide wildlife toward using the tunnels as intended.

It is this petition's mission to secure a longstanding solution. A minimum of 6 wildlife appropriate ecopassages should be installed along Cootes Drive and at the beginnings of highway eight. At least one additional turtle tunnel with barricades of the aforementioned materials should also be installed along king street east where it joins with Olympic drive. Here there is an underground stream that connects Desjardins Canal to Lake Jojo where turtles are travelling between and currently have no secure method of crossing. These areas are where our turtles need safe passage in particular for breeding, nest building and egg laying needed to protect adult individuals and replenish populations. 

It is a crucial that this petition's demands are met with no compromise. The turtle tunnels and any other wildlife structures must be designed and built by environmental and civil engineering professionals to ensure optimal success and benefit to turtles and other wildlife. It is also worth noting in the face of naysayers that animal crossings mutually benefit many members of the animal kingdom and help minimize unwanted interactions between people and wildlife. Not only will turtles be able to use a properly constructed underpass, but so will amphibians, and smaller mammals.

Let our city and town representatives know it is time to invest in our environment and not entertain band-aid solutions.

We must demand of our town and city to build the appropriate wildlife crossings and structures mandatory for turtles and other wildlife to be given safe passage across these busy roadways.

Casualties from the unwarranted neglect of our roadways are detrimental to an already suffering population of animals. Not only can our government do better, we stipulate as the governed that it do so.

The petition (Original May 24, 2023): 

The community has succeeded in recreating a healthy environment for Cootes that has welcomed the return of a variety of wildlife that calls Dundas its home. However, further action is needed. Now is time that we honour this work. Let us build upon what has been achieved by protecting that wildlife with the appropriate structures that would ensure the safe crossing of our neighbouring creatures.

Simply put, the statistics do not lie. All eight of Ontario's turtle species are classified as being at risk or endangered. To make matters worse, the road's intrusion through our wetlands has caused countless losses. This makes the mission of increasing the population of these vanishing creatures all the more critical to both wildlife and conservationists alike.

Currently, tunnels do exist under Cootes Drive, unfortunately, they have not been adequately maintained. The tunnels appear to be packed with mud, vegetation, litter and other debris. In many cases the tunnels appear mostly submerged and the four lane road is so wide it is impossible to see if the tunnels are even clear enough for wildlife to pass through. The out of date design lacking the necessary skylights do not allow light into the tunnels and may be keeping turtles from using them entirely. One solution is grated top designs such as those pictured in the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre eco package brochure, which can be found on their website. (Brochures & Handouts – Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre). These grated designs allow inside the currently lacking necessary light, and also allow easier access for maintenance such as cleaning out debris. The tunnels need to be accompanied by structural designs that direct and encourage turtles and other vulnerable wildlife to use the underpasses rather than roadways.

Without the crucial structures of barricades and corralling to guide wildlife directly toward the tunnels, they simply will not be used. Correspondingly, the fences that were put along the roadsides to stop turtles from walking directly into traffic require constant repair due to wear and unfortunately theft and vandalism. This does not provide enough of a long term solution on its own. We must demand more of our community leaders and the redesign of roadways. Wildlife should no longer be an afterthought of our towns and cities.

We demand immediate solutions to protect already endangered wildlife from constantly increasing traffic. We urgently need solutions that can be quickly implemented including increasing and restructuring turtle fencing. A combination of mitigation fencing, aluminum flat stock fencing, and Animex fencing must also be installed on both Royal Botanical Gardens and city property and must be maintained in order to prevent turtles from going directly onto the road. Placement and quantity must be sufficient to guide wildlife toward using the tunnels as intended.

It is this petition's mission to secure a longstanding solution. A minimum of 6 wildlife appropriate ecopassages should be installed along Cootes Drive and at the beginnings of highway eight. At least one additional turtle tunnel with barricades of the aforementioned materials should also be installed along king street east where it joins with Olympic drive. Here there is an underground stream that connects Desjardins Canal to Lake Jojo where turtles are travelling between and currently have no secure method of crossing. These areas are where our turtles need safe passage in particular for breeding, nest building and egg laying.

It is a crucial that this petition's demands are met with no compromise. The turtle tunnels and any other wildlife structures must be designed and built by environmental and civil engineering professionals to ensure optimal success and benefit to turtles and other wildlife. It is also worth noting in the face of naysayers that animal crossings mutually benefit many members of the animal kingdom and help minimize unwanted interactions between people and wildlife. Not only will turtles be able to use a properly constructed underpass, but so will amphibians, and smaller mammals.

Let our city and town representatives know it is time to invest in our environment and not entertain band-aid solutions. We must demand of our town and city to build the appropriate wildlife crossings and structures mandatory for turtles and other wildlife to be given safe passage across these busy roadways. Casualties from the unwarranted neglect of our roadways are detrimental to an already suffering population of animals. Not only can our government do better, we stipulate as the governed that it do so.