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ERO-019-7739 – Proposal to return lands to the Greenbelt

By Linda Heron on Friday, December 1st, 2023
Posted in Environmental Registry, Greenbelt, ORA Submissions, Regulatory Submissions

Greenbelt

ORA strongly supports the following:

  1. The new section to the Act, 14.1, to restore the Greenbelt Plan to the 15 areas of land that were removed or redesignated in 2022, while maintaining the 2022 lands that were added.
  2. The re-enactment and enhancement of section 2 of the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Act, 2001, to repeal the authority of the Lieutenant Governor in Council to add/remove lands from the Greenbelt.
  3. Lastly, ORA supports the new section of the Act, 26, to restore the designation of land that was redesignated in 2022.

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Thank You Drift Outfitters and Fly Shop and The So Fly Crew!!

By Linda Heron on Saturday, November 18th, 2023
Posted in Media

A BIG THANK YOU to our supporters, Drift Outfitters and Fly Shop, and The So Fly Crew, for their generous donation from the proceeds of their very successful F3T 2023 Fly Fishing Film Tour!!

                 

Hydro Impacts 101: The Trade-offs

By Linda Heron on Monday, November 6th, 2023
Posted in Agriculture, American Eel, Aquatic Life, Art, Brook Trout, Climate Change, Dam Removals, Dams, Energy, Flooding, GHG Emissions, Heavy Metal Contamination, Hydro Impacts 101: The Trade-offs, Impacts, Lake Sturgeon, Lake Trout, Mussels, ORA Reports, ORA Submissions, Presentations, River Concerns, Species at Risk, Turbines, Uncategorized, Water as a Commons, Water Quality

We’ve been sold the idea that hydropower is a clean, green, and non-emitting energy source.
But this is far from the truth!💔🌱

Check out this eye-opening infographic and the full report below to learn more about the hidden environmental and socio-economic costs of these projects! 🌊💰

  • Hydro impacts 101: the trade-offs

Hydro Impacts 101 – The Trade-offs

ERO-019-7378 – Black Ash regulation – Joint

By Linda Heron on Thursday, November 2nd, 2023
Posted in Endangered Species Act, Forest Management, Joint, Regulatory

Black Ash

On behalf of the 42 undersigned organizations, we are writing to express our strong opposition to the proposed conditional exemption for the endangered Black Ash, under Ontario’s Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA). The proposed minimizes protections for the Black Ash at every turn and reveals a disturbing lack of intent on the part of the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP to prioritize the survival and recovery of the species.

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ERO-019-6951, 6963, 6928 & 6853 – Proposed Streamlining to Permit-by-Rule, Waste Management, Stormwater Management and Site Dewatering Activities – ORA Support

By Linda Heron on Monday, October 30th, 2023
Posted in Environmental Bill of Rights, Environmental Compliance Approval, Joint, Land Use, Mining, Ontario Water Resources Act, Policy & Process, Provincial Policy Statement, Quarries, Regulatory, River Concerns, Rivers at Risk, Sewage, Species at Risk, Stormwater, Urban Development, Waste Water Treatment Facilities, Water Quality, Watershed Planning

Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA) has prepared the following analysis and recommendations in response to the four above-noted Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO) notices, which propose dramatic changes to Ontario’s permit-by-rule framework. The undersigned environmental, conservation, and civil society organizations have endorsed CELA’s submission. Collectively, it is strongly recommended that the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks not move ahead with the four proposals…

We are willing to meet and discuss CELA’s submission at your convenience.

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Advancing Protected and Conservation Areas – Joint

By Linda Heron on Monday, October 23rd, 2023
Posted in Joint, Land Use, River Concerns

On April 1, 2021 the Ontario government announced the appointment of a working group of conservation experts to “identify opportunities to protect and conserve more natural areas” in the province, a key commitment in the government’s Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan. The working group provided a report with recommendations to the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks entitled, “A New Approach: Advancing Protected and Conserved Areas in Ontario.” The report was only recently made available to the public through a Freedom of Information request.

On behalf of the 124 undersigned organizations, we urge you to implement key recommendations of the report, specifically: 1) to partner with Indigenous Nations and engage the public, municipalities and interested groups to immediately implement a strategy to protect 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030 and 2) to establish an innovation fund to support implementation. We urge you to make funding and resources available commensurate with the globally significant opportunity that is available in Ontario right now.

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ERO-019-7561 & ERO-019-7562 – Proposal to Return Lands to the Greenbelt

By Linda Heron on Thursday, October 19th, 2023
Posted in Environmental Registry, Greenbelt, ORA Submissions, Regulatory Submissions

In response to the proposal to return lands to the Greenbelt, the ORA offers our strong support for all lands that were removed from the Greenbelt on 14 December 2022 being immediately returned to the Greenbelt, as per the proposed Amendments to the Greenbelt Plan and the Greenbelt Area Boundary Regulation O.Reg 59/05.

ORA also recommends that all lands this government added to the Greenbelt land to compensate for the December 2022 removal of Greenbelt lands remain within the Greenbelt under the protection of the Greenbelt Act, 2005, and Greenbelt Plan.

Once the land is returned to the Greenbelt, it must remain designated as Greenbelt with all the relevant land use restrictions, and any future removal must be made extremely onerous through protective amendments to the appropriate legislation.

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Mill Creek Weir Removal Project

By Linda Heron on Tuesday, October 17th, 2023
Posted in Dam Removals, Mill Creek, Mill Creek Weir

Credit Valley Conservation Aquatic Restoration Team is pleased to announce that the construction phase for Mill Creek Weir Removal project is complete.

The in-stream concrete weir was creating a barrier for fish passage, placing a sensitive population of Brook Trout in Orangeville at risk. Matrix Solutions Inc. created a design to remove the concrete weir and improve the stream’s natural geomorphology by adding a riffle. Through this process, we discovered that private utilities (water & hydro) ran underneath the creek about 5-7m upstream of the weir. They included these utilities into the design as they were only 0.8m below the creek bed and at risk for exposure during erosion processes. We made the decision to lower the utilities below the scour limit (2.5m) in order to protect them after the weir was removed. We hired Cambridge Landscaping and Construction Ltd to complete the construction. Construction was completed within 2 weeks and resulted in: 25m of stream restored, 60 shrubs planted, 1 barrier removed, and reconnected 5km of upstream habitat for brook trout and other fish species.

ORA is pleased to report that we were a funding partner in this Project!

ERO-019-7598 – Proposed Regulatory Amendments to the Build More Mines Act, 2023

By Linda Heron on Monday, October 9th, 2023
Posted in Bill 71, Build More Mines Act, Environmental Registry, Fisheries, Heavy Metal Contamination, Heavy Metals, Mining, ORA Submissions, Pollution, Regulatory, River Concerns, Rivers at Risk, Water Quality

“Open-pit Cppper Mine – Mission Complex” by docentjoyce is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Actually, this government does not deserve the trust of its constituents because it has eroded all of our environmental protections and public engagement and consultation in related policy and legislation over the last 5 years. Therefore, when it claims that “the intention is not to fundamentally change the underlying rules but rather to clarify their source and application”, it is unbelievable – no longer credible – trust has been lost.  Especially since this proposal and the entire Build More Mines Act, 2023 was a total gutting of the Mining Act.

While streamlining mining legislation and policies can bring about certain benefits such as increased efficiency and reduced bureaucracy if done correctly; excessive streamlining without adequate safeguards can impact the environment, communities and even the long-term sustainability of the mining industry.  It will also lead to environmental degradation, community displacement and conflicts, social and economic imbalances, and undermine public trust with the lack of transparency and accountability.

To avoid these negative consequences, it is essential to strike a balance between streamlining mining regulations for efficiency and ensuring that there are robust environmental, social and legal safeguards in place. Proper consultation with local communities, adherence to international best practices and strict enforcement of responsible mining standards are crucial for achieving sustainable and responsible mining practices. This is not the case with any of these amendments.

Consequently, ORA rejects this proposal to streamline the Regulation.

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