Ontario streamlines environmental assessment process for ‘low-risk’ infrastructure

The Ontario government has announced it will be streamlining the environmental assessment process for new low-risk infrastructure being proposed by municipalities.

The province says it is “streamlining and simplifying” the 50-year-old EA process to fast-track the development of infrastructure that is deemed to have a low potential for environmental effects.

The announcement came against the context of the Ford government’s push to build new roadways, such as Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass.

“As Ontario grows at record speed, it’s never been more important to build new roads, highways, public transit and homes, so we can get drivers out of bumper-to-bumper traffic and bring the dream of home ownership into reach for more people,” said Andrea Khanjin, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks at a press conference in Brampton on Friday.

READ MORE: Ontario reaches deal with teachers in French-language public system

The new process will have a list approach, through which types of infrastructure where projects least likely to cause environmental harm will be given priority, and they will spend more time looking at more complex projects.

Lands needed for these projects will be subject to exploration before an environmental assessment, speeding up the process of infrastructure projects.

Khanjin says the change will allow “more projects, such as new highways, railways and electricity transaction lines, can see up to four years taken off their building timelines,” leading to a save in time a money. It is a deviation from the current focus on project proponents to what a project is and what its potential for environmental effects truly is.

Officials say the changes that come into effect on Feb. 22 will help to fast-track the development of highways, rail and electricity transmission lines completed up to four years sooner.

According to the province, the streamlined process will save time and money while maintaining “environmental safeguards.”

The Executive Director of Environment Hamilton says the potential environmental degradation is completely unnecessary when it comes to major projects, “we’re going to be seeing potential lawsuits from land owners when they’re expropriated before an environmental assessment is even done.”

READ MORE: Ontario finance minister cancels LCBO pilot that would ID customers before entry

The projects that are being shifted to the streamlined process continue to be required to both identify and mitigate environmental impacts and all consultations before they begin.

The province is also beginning consultations on another new streamlined process for certain municipal water, shoreline and sewage system projects that it says will help accelerate planning by limiting the process to 6 months from its current timeline of 18 months or more.

In another proposed change, the Ford government says it is considering a “minor change” to the Environmental Assessment Act that would allow for municipalities, ministries and agencies to more easily use expropriation as a manner of acquiring property for a project before the EA process is conducted.