Ontario Streamlines Environmental Assessment Requirements For Certain Projects
by Jon Elliott
Founder & President,
Touchstone Environmental
Piedmont, CA
May 2024
This article summarizes the latest changes and provides some background to the process undertaken to ‘modernize’ EA requirements and procedures.
Since 1975, Ontario has specified types of projects required to prepare environmental assessments (EAs) before construction, under evolving requirements of the provincial Environmental Assessment Act (EAA). These requirements generally apply to infrastructure and utility projects undertaken by public agencies.
On February 16, 2024, Ontario narrowed EA requirements for a broad range of public agency infrastructure projects and took additional steps to reduce and expedite EAA reviews by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. These revisions culminate six years of regulatory and legislative pronouncements, reviews, and amendments to EA requirements, framed as “modernization” of these standards and procedures.
Also included here, be sure to read an update about the more recent provision being guided through Parliament, Bill 162 (the “Get It Done Act,” 2024.)
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