Open For Comment

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Province of Ontario

Open for Comment

• The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks is proposing regulations that will outline how the protection of Black Ash will apply under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) when the period of temporary suspension ends on January 25, 2024, and sets out a new conditional exemption for Black Ash that are protected under the ESA. The Government may also consider extending the temporary pause in protections for Black Ash until no later than January 2025, so that the proposed regulatory approach can be implemented. Comment period is open until November 2, 2023.
• The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks has released a proposal regarding streamlining permissions for water takings for construction site dewatering activities and foundation drains. The Ministry is also seeking feedback on municipal sewer-use bylaws and their impact on the design and long-term operation of foundation drains in residential buildings. For more information, or to submit comments, visit the above hyperlink. Comments can be submitted until October 30^th.
• The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks is also proposing changes to streamline the permit-by-rule framework. The ministry is seeking input on how to expand the use of its permit-by-rule framework to reduce delays on projects such as new housing and businesses. For more information, or to submit comments, visit the above hyperlink. Comments can be submitted until October 30^th.
• The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks is also proposing changes  to streamline environmental permissions for stormwater management under the Environmental Activity and Sector Registry (EASR). This would:
  • Create a new regulation under the Environmental Protection Act to allow for certain stormwater management works to self-register on EASR.
  • Amend O.Reg 525/98 (Approval Exemptions) under the Ontario Water Resources Act to exempt some stormwater management works in residential areas from approval requirements.
  • Amend O.Reg 287/07 (General, under the Clean Water Act) by adjusting the types of policies to be included in source protection plans where a significant drinking water threat is being managed through registration on the EASR.
    • For more information, or to submit comments, please visit the first hyperlink. Comments can be submitted until October 30^th.
• The Ministry of Finance has re-launched its consultations on proposed regulations necessary for implementing  a permanent framework for multi-employer pension plans (MEPPs) providing target benefits in Ontario. The framework, revised on the feedback provided in the March consultation period, would replace the temporary funding regulations currently in place for Specified Ontario Multi-Employer Pension Plans (SOMEPPs), which expire beginning in 2024. For more details on the proposal, or to submit comments, please visit the first hyperlink. Comments can be submitted until October 17^th.
• The province is proposing to amend the Development Charges Act, 1997 to change the definition of an affordable residential unit for the purpose of discounting and exempting these units from municipal development-related charges. This includes development charges, community benefits charges, and parkland dedication requirements. The proposed new definition would consider the housing costs that are affordable for households that, in the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing’s opinion, are in the 60th percentile of gross annual income in the applicable local municipality. There are separate details on how this would be applied for ownership and rental housing.  See link above for detail. Open until October 28.
• The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has released a proposal for returning lands to the Greenbelt, under the Greenbelt Statute Law Amendment Act (2023). This would introduce restorative legislation to 15 parcels of land that were redesignated/removed from the Greenbelt in late 2022. For more information, or to submit a comment, please visit the hyperlink. Comments can be submitted until November 30.
• The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks has released a proposal for regulatory amendments that encourage greater reuse of excess soil. This would amend O.Reg 406/19 (Excess Soil Regulation) to encourage greater reuse of low-risk excess soils as part of a circular economy and to prevent usable soil from being disposed of in landfill. For more information, or to submit a comment, please visit the hyperlink. Comments can be submitted until December 1.
• The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks has released a proposal regarding Fuels Regulation to improve cleaner transportation. This would update the technical guideless for facilities with non-fuel products and provides a new directions for calculating the GHG intensity of bio-based content that is produced in those facilities. The new methods include: Direct Measurement (which solely analyzes energy used over the quarterly period), Output-based Allocation (which measures GHG intensity of fuel-grade products and non-fuel products separately), and Facility Average (which uses a weighted-average system of all facility inputs to measure GHG intensity). For more information, or to submit a comment, please visit the hyperlink. Comments can be submitted until December 19.
• The Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism has released a proposal regarding the Ontario Heritage Act and making certain alteration requests for various sites. This would amend O.Reg 385/21 (General) to allow for religious organizations and Indigenous communities or organizations to move forward with their proposed alterations where the requirements of the provision are met. For more information, or to submit a comment, please visit the hyperlink. Comments can be submitted until December 3.

Decision/Bulletins

• The Ministry of Red Tape Reduction has released a bulletin regarding Bill 139 (Less Red Tape, More Common Sense Act). The posting outlines various initiatives that will improve services for people, reduce costs for businesses, and make it easier to work with government if the bill is passed.
• The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks has amended O.Reg 334 which exempts certain Crown projects related to provincial parks and conservation reserves from the Environmental Assessment Act. The Province has also approved a Project Evaluation Policy under the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act that applies to certain exempted projects. The exemption applies to: establishing, amending or rescinding the boundaries of a provincial park or conservation reserve; acquiring land for establishing new provincial parks or conservation reserves, or adding land to existing provincial parks and conservation reserves, and; disposing of any interest in land in a provincial park or conservation reserve. More details can be found via the second and third hyperlinks.
• The Province has made changes to the “Procedure for Corrective Actions for Systems not Using Chlorine.” The revised document has is meant to simplify guidelines and requirements for owners and operators of non-municipal drinking water systems.
• The Ministry of Northern Development has made minor changes to the Statement of Environmental Values (SEV) to reflect the current Ministry structure. No changes to the text were made.

Expired

Open for Comment

• The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development has released a proposal regarding poor outdoor air quality, as it relates to Workplace Health and Safety. This Ministry plans to amend the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) regulations, and is gathering feedback on whether poor outdoor air quality is an issue facing Ontario workplaces and the projected costs/benefits of implementing amendments. For more information, or to submit comments, please visit the first hyperlink. Comments can be submitted until September 1.
• The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development has also released a proposal regarding a new heat stress regulation under OHSA. This includes introducing heat stress exposure limits based on the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists’ method, and requiring employers to provide workers information on recognizing the signs and symptoms of heat-related illnesses. For more information, or to submit a comment, please visit the hyperlink. Comments can be submitted until September 1.
• The Ministry of the Solicitor General has released a proposal for a legislative review of the Police Record Checks Reform Act (PRCRA). In addition to determining whether the PRCRA is meeting its policy mandate, the Ministry also hopes to gather information on issues not directly governed by the Act, including: issues surrounding the delivery of police record checks, impact of police record checks on the resource capacity of municipalities, and the impact of these checks on the supply and demand of volunteers. For more information, or to submit a comment, please visit the hyperlink. Comments can be submitted until September 11.
• The Ministry of Energy is proposing a regulation to extend the rate recovery prohibition administered by electricity and gas transmitters and distributors. For more information, or to submit comments, visit the hyperlink. Comment period is open until September 25, 2023.
• The Ministry of Energy is proposing to amend O. Reg. 506/18 (Reporting of Energy Consumption and Water Use) to change the exemption process for eligible building owners by removing the requirement to submit supporting documentation when requesting either an on-going or annual exemption from reporting. Under the regulation, building managers of buildings which are 50,000 square feet and larger must report their energy and water consumption data to the Ministry by July 1 every year. For more details, or to submit comments, visit the first hyperlink. Comment period is open until October 14, 2023.

Bulletin

• The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks has released a bulletin requesting additional information for preparing the recovery strategies of four species at risk. The species include the Hudsonian Godwit, Lake Whitefish (opeongo lake large and small-bodied), and the Suckley’s Cuckoo Bumble Bee. The Ministry is requesting information regarding the species’ biology, natural habitat, and potential threats/strategies for protection. For more information please visit the hyperlink. Comments can be submitted until August 31
• The Ministry of Energy has released a bulletin regarding Ontario’s Electricity Energy Efficiency Programming, beginning in 2025. The Ministry is seeking feedback from stakeholders on the future of Ontario’s Conservation and Demand Management (CDM) program, to support the development and implementation of new programming proposals. The Ministry will also formally post a proposal regarding this programming for public review prior to implementation. For more information, or to submit a comment, please visit the hyperlink. Comments can be submitted until September 5.

Previously Open for Comment