Ontario once led the way in boreal caribou recovery planning, but now the province has failed alongside most other jurisdictions to develop critical range protection plans by a deadline laid out five years ago. The science is clear that further habitat protection is needed, but the provinces and territories are “all very behind,” said Justina Ray, the president and senior scientist of the Wildlife Conservation Society Canada… In the meantime, the Woodland Caribou boreal population has continued to decline, a signal the entire ecosystem could be at risk, she said. …For her, the exemptions to Ontario’s endangered species act for industries such as forestry and mining are a key concern. Those exemptions, which are due to expire next summer, allow industry to destroy boreal caribou habitat under approved forest management plans.