Category Archives: Crown Land Use Policy

ORA Celebrates 10 years of Service to Ontario Rivers

By Linda Heron on Saturday, October 16th, 2021

Posted in Almonte GS, Annual Reports, Armstrong Creek, At Soo Crossing, Bala Falls, Big Eddy, Big Falls, Blanche River, Bonnechere River, Camp Rapids, Camp Three Rapids, Cascade Falls, Cedar Rapids, Crown Land Use Policy, Dams, Enerdu GS, Energy, Erin WWTP, First Chute, Fourth Slide Falls, Frederick House River, Half Mile Rapids, Hydroelectric, Ivanhoe River, Kabinakagami River, Kapuskasing River, Larder River, Marter Township GS, McCarthy Chute, McPherson Falls, Misema GS, Misema River, Mississippi River, Moon River, Neeskah, ORA Reports, Peeshoo, Petawawa River, Presentations, Raven Falls, Regulatory, Removal, River Concerns, Rivers at Risk, Serpent River, Sewage, Sturgeon Chute, Temagami River, The Chute, Third Falls, Trout Lake River, Vermilion River, Wabagishik Rapids, Wahpeeston, Wanapitei Dam, Wanapitei River, Wanatango Falls, Wapoose, Waste Water Treatment Facilities, West Credit River

A presentation made by the Chair of ORA:

A presentation made by the Chair at ORA’s 16 October 2021 Annual General Meeting:

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Reject Schedules 6 and 8 of Bill 229 to Protect Conservation Authorities and Species at Risk

By Linda Heron on Monday, November 30th, 2020

Posted in Bill-229, Climate Change, Crown Land Use Policy, Flooding, Forestry, Government, Land Use, ORA Submissions, Regulatory, Regulatory Submissions, River Concerns, Rivers at Risk, Species at Risk, Stormwater, Urban Development, Water Quality, Wetlands

Bill 229 is just the most recent in a long list of omnibus bills containing devastating amendments, exemptions and streamlining of key environmental policy and legislation designed to protect our environment and communities and provide the public and stakeholders with meaningful input. These government actions have created a deep erosion of public trust and confidence. It is unacceptable that it would mislead its citizens and bypass the norms by taking advantage of a world-wide health emergency to aggressively push their destructive agenda through.

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ERO-019-0880 Ontario’s Forest Sector Strategy (Draft)

By Linda Heron on Tuesday, February 4th, 2020

Posted in Crown Land Use Policy, Environmental Registry, Forest Management, Government, Industry, ORA Submissions, Regulatory

ORA also objects to Ontario ratepayers and/or taxpayers having to subsidize electricity pricing and capital expenditures for industry and private corporations. This Strategy focuses only on the economic benefits of doubling the harvest, without looking at the trade-offs or balancing that with equal measures to maintain a healthy environment. This is the only way to maintain the claim of sustainable forest management in Ontario.

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The work to Save the Bala Falls continues

By Linda Heron on Wednesday, October 1st, 2014

Posted in Bala Falls, Crown Land Use Policy, Dams, E-Newsletter, Energy, Hydroelectric, Moon River, Public Lands Act, Regulatory, Renewable Energy on Crown Land, River Concerns, Rivers at Risk

by Mitchell Shnier, Save the Bala Falls

The Township of Muskoka Lakes initiated a Judicial Review in 2013 as the proposed hydro-electric generating station at the Bala Falls would contravene two Sections of the Public Lands Act:

Section 65(4), which requires that portages not be obstructed – and the proposed generating station would obstruct the traditional Bala Portage. As requested and required by the MNR, we were able to locate historic documents confirming not only that the portage was south of the Bala north falls, but that it was established before the original Crown land patent was granted. That is, as a result of our claim that the Public Lands Act does not permit the MNR to obstruct the Bala Portage, the MNR requested information, and we provided this information, yet they simply ignored and denied what we provided.

Section 3, which states that if less than 25% of the shoreline frontage of a body of water is Crown land, then the publically-accessible Crown land shoreline cannot be further reduced. And in fact, on the Moon River, there is less than 25% of Crown land frontage, and this would be further reduced by the proposed generating station. The Township was able to show that the MNR did not follow their own required Policy PL 3.02.01 in determing Crown land frontage. However, the MNR simply ignored this policy and presented an incorrect calculation to the Court.

Unfortunately, the end result was that despite the MNR contravening these Sections of the Public Lands Act the Court ultimately decided that Section 28 of the Public Lands supercedes the others, and if the MNR unilaterally decides the lands are unsafe or that the Minister wishes to build a hydro-electric generating station anyways, they can.

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Renewable Energy on Crown Land – Decision Notice

By Linda Heron on Sunday, February 23rd, 2014

Posted in Crown Land Use Policy, Environmental Registry, ORA Submissions, Regulatory, Regulatory Submissions, Renewable Energy on Crown Land

Misema River – Before Hydro Facility

Misema River – Downstream of Hydro Facility

Posted 8 March 2014

On February 10, 2014, the Ministry of Natural Resources released its Renewable Energy on Crown Land Policy. A decision notice (Registry # 011-6005) has been posted to Ontario’s Environmental Registry Environmental Registry. The policy document and a summary of key policy content can be downloaded from the Ministry’s website on the renewable energy policy page.

This replaces the Site Release policy, which was a necessary step in the permitting process for waterpower, onshore wind power and solar power developments when Crown land is involved. All proposals with current Feed in Tariff (FIT) contracts will still fall under the Site Release policy; however, new FIT proposals and those under the incoming Large Energy Procurement process will fall under the Renewable Energy on Crown Land Policy. Check out the links above for more details.

Ontario Rivers Alliance made a submission on this EBR posting in October of 2012, and is available below. Continue reading →

Renewable Energy on Crown Land – EBR Posting 011-6005 – ORA Submission

By Linda Heron on Thursday, October 11th, 2012

Posted in Crown Land Use Policy, FIT Program, Green Energy Act, ORA Submissions, Policy & Process, Regulatory, Regulatory Submissions, Renewable Energy on Crown Land, Rivers at Risk, Site Release

Summary:
ORA requests that the Renewable Energy on Crown Land Policy Review take into account the communities and stakeholders that will have to live with the impacts of these hydroelectric dams. Public consultation must be a mandatory component before releasing Crown Land to developers.

A provincial strategy for waterpower development is needed. A strategy that examines the full range of impacts before a site is released to developers, to look at where it makes ecological sense to build hydroelectric dams vs. where it does not make sense. Crown lands are held in trust for the people of Ontario – and therefore they must be effectively and transparently consulted before disposing of a waterpower site. Continue reading →

EBR-010-7775 – Proposed Major Amendment to the Crown Land Use Policy Atlas (Wolf Lake) – ORA

By Linda Heron on Saturday, July 23rd, 2011

Posted in Crown Land Use Policy, Environmental Registry, ORA Submissions, Regulatory, Site Release

July 11, 2011:

Excerpt:

We are concerned about a proposed major amendment to the Crown Land Use Policy Atlas in the Chiniguchi River and Wolf Lake area of the Sudbury District. As the world’s largest old growth red pine forest1, the Wolf Lake area is ecologically unique and simply irreplaceable. As a popular tourist destination, the Wolf and Matagamasi Lake areas are an integral linkage for the Chiniguchi Waterway Park. Continue reading →