Sent: Wednesday, July 8, 2020 7:11 PM
To: Critchley, Valerie <vcritchley@citywindsor.ca>
Subject: Letter from the Honourable Jeff Yurek, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and
Parks regarding Environmental Assessment modernization
Good evening,
I am writing to inform you about the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks next steps in our government’s Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan commitment to build an environmental assessment (EA) program that ensures strong environmental oversight and a strong economy.
The current process for environmental assessments is slow and ineffective. It can take up to six years for some projects, slowing down important infrastructure projects that help Ontario communities, such as installing electricity infrastructure. Even projects subject to a streamlined process, such as new roads and bridges, can be further delayed by administrative burden, impacting the timely construction of basic infrastructure.
That’s why, last year our government released a discussion paper ( https://prod- environmental-registry.s3.amazonaws.com/2019- 04/EA%20Discussion%20Paper.pdf ) outlining the challenges with our current framework and introducing our vision for a modernized EA program, as the first step in our plan to update the nearly 50-year-old Environmental Assessment Act (EAA).
As we committed in our Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan, we want to improve the environmental assessment program by eliminating duplication and reducing delays on projects that matter most to Ontario communities. To start, we amended the EAA through the More Homes, More Choice Act, 2019 to exempt low-impact projects, such as constructing roadside parks and adding bike lanes from requiring an environmental assessment. Projects like these are routine activities that have benefits to communities but little to no environmental impacts.
As part of our government’s proposed COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act, we are now proposing to move forward with the next phase of environmental assessment modernization, to further reduce delays and focus our resources on projects with a higher potential for environmental impacts so that we can help communities get important infrastructure projects built faster, while maintaining strong environmental oversight.
Building infrastructure projects faster, including transit and highways, will help boost Ontario's economic recovery, create thousands of jobs, put more opportunities within the reach of businesses, create more affordable housing, and ensure a higher standard of living in every community across the province.