Policy Consultation Submissions Task
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) provides written submissions to legislative, policy, and regulatory proposals from senior levels of government, where TRCA interests may be affected.
The majority of these proposals are posted on the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO). Depending on the topic area, different TRCA divisions may take the lead to solicit input and prepare the corporate response.
To ensure consistency across the organization and alignment with corporate messaging and policy positioning, TRCA staff should review the past submissions posted below when formulating future responses to related legislative and policy proposals.
All correspondence and/or advice from TRCA to the Province on any provincial initiatives or consultations must be reviewed by the CEO’s office prior to submission.
For each submission below, click the link to see a summary of the response, its current status and a further link to the full submission.
QUESTIONS?
Please contact Mary-Ann Burns
Senior Manager, Provincial and Regional Policy
Email: MaryAnn.Burns@trca.ca
Phone: (437) 880-2299
TRCA Submissions
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is proposing a regulation governing the activities that require permits under the Conservation Authorities Act. The proposed regulation would focus permitting decisions on matters related to the control of flooding and other natural hazards and the protection of people and property.
There are currently 36 individual regulations under the Conservation Authorities Act, one for each conservation authority in the province, that set out the activities and associated requirements for permits (or permissions). These regulations are proposed to be revoked through proposed legislative amendments to the Act. The ministry is proposing to make a single provincial regulation to ensure clear and consistent requirements across all conservation authorities while still addressing local differences.
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) is undertaking a housing-focused policy review of A Place to Grow and the Provincial Policy Statement. MMAH is seeking input on how to create a streamlined province-wide land use planning policy framework that enables municipalities to approve housing faster and increase housing supply.
In support of Ontario’s Housing Supply Action Plan 3.0 and the government’s commitment to support the construction of 1.5 million new housing units over the next 10 years, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) is seeking feedback on the discussion paper entitled Conserving Ontario’s Natural Heritage.
This discussion paper seeks feedback on how Ontario could offset development pressures on wetlands, woodlands, and other natural wildlife habitat. MNRF is considering developing an offset policy that would require a net positive impact on these features and help reverse the decades-long trend of natural heritage loss in Ontario.
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is seeking feedback on a proposal to revoke the Parkway Belt West Plan, 1978, under the Ontario Planning and Development Act, 1994, to support the government’s commitment to streamline, reduce, and eliminate burdens and to potentially increase housing supply.
The Province is proposing new legislation that, if passed, would require the expansion of crucial wastewater treatment services for York Region and the construction of a phosphorus reduction facility to remove phosphorus from drainage water that flows into Lake Simcoe. The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks is seeking comments on the proposed legislation.
Under Bill 23, the Ontario government is proposing changes to the Planning Act and the City of Toronto Act, 2006 to make it easier and faster to build new homes for Ontarians. These changes would further streamline approvals for housing and reduce barriers and costs to development so that cities, towns, and rural communities can grow with a mix of ownership and rental housing types.
Changes are also being proposed to Ontario Regulation 299/19: Additional Residential Units. These are consequential amendments resulting from changes to the Planning Act proposed through Bill 23.
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is seeking feedback on proposed changes to the Greenbelt Plan that would remove or redesignate 15 areas of land and add lands in the Paris Galt Moraine area.
Ontario is proposing a series of legislative and regulatory changes under the Conservation Authorities Act to support Ontario’s Housing Supply Action Plan. The proposed changes would further focus conservation authorities on their core mandate, support faster and less costly approvals, streamline conservation authority processes, and help make land suitable for housing available for development.
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is seeking feedback on a proposal to revoke the Central Pickering Development Plan, under the Ontario Planning and Development Act, 1994, to support the government’s commitment to streamline, reduce, and eliminate burdens and to potentially increase housing supply.
In support of Ontario’s Housing Supply Action Plan 3.0 and the government’s commitment to support the construction of 1.5 million new housing units over the next ten years, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is proposing updates to the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System (OWES) that would remove duplicate requirements and streamline the evaluation process.
Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the government must ensure that a recovery strategy is prepared for each species that is listed as endangered or threatened. A recovery strategy provides science-based advice on what is required to achieve recovery of a species.
After a recovery strategy is prepared, the ESA requires the government to publish a statement summarizing its intended actions and priorities in response to the recovery strategy.
Through ERO 019-5595, the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks is seeking advice in the final recovery strategies and early input to inform forthcoming government response statements for five species at risk (SAR) in Ontario:
- Black Ash (Fraxinus nigra)
- Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea)
- Gilman’s Goldenrod (Solidago gillmanii)
- Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)
- Spoon-leaved Moss (Bryoandersonia illecebra)
The Province is undertaking this consultation as part of its larger consultation on Bill 109: More Homes for Everyone, which was passed by Ontario’s Legislature and received Royal Assent on April 14, 2022.
This initiative builds upon a recent report by the Ontario Housing Affordability Task Force containing recommendations on how to address housing affordability in Ontario.
Through ERO #019-5286, the Province is seeking specific input on best practices and how to support the creation of more “missing middle” housing forms, including multigenerational housing.
Similarly, through ERO #019-5287, the Province is also seeking targeted feedback on ways to increase the range of housing supply in rural and northern municipalities through a range of land use planning and non-land use planning tools.
These ERO proposals aim to encourage construction of more homes faster by expediting planning approvals to help meet Ontario’s long-term commitment to address the housing crisis. This work aims to build upon the recommendations contained in the Ontario Housing Affordability Task Force.
The subject EROs are requesting feedback on proposed amendments to the Planning Act that would streamline approvals through a series of changes associated with Bill 109, the More Homes for Everyone Act, 2022.
Through the subject EROs, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is undertaking Phase 2 consultation to grow the Greenbelt. The Ministry intends to build upon previous feedback through Phase 1 of the consultation and seek additional input on proposed amendments to the Greenbelt Plan that would add 13 new Urban River Valley (URV) areas to the Greenbelt Plan.
General feedback for other potential new URV additions or expansions to the Greenbelt is also being sought, provided such recommendations reflect the “Key Principles for Expanding the Greenbelt” identified in Phase 1.
The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) is seeking public and Indigenous input to ensure the best scientific information, traditional ecological knowledge and community knowledge is considered before finalizing the recovery strategies for four species at risk in Ontario:
The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) is seeking feedback on a draft Low Impact Development Stormwater Management Guidance Manual that will help municipalities, property owners, planners, developers, and others to manage rain where it falls, reduce flooding risks, and increase resiliency to climate change.
The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) is seeking public input on potential opportunities and approaches to improve municipal wastewater and stormwater management and water conservation in Ontario.
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is seeking input on potential amendments that would exempt auxiliary structures (eg. sheds) under 15m2 from building code requirements, where currently auxiliary structures 10m2 in area or smaller (without plumbing) are not considered “buildings” and thus need not require a building permit under section 8of the Building Code Act.
Provincial guidance for integrating watershed and subwatershed planning into land use planning is out of date. The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) wants to rectify this to support implementation of provincial land use policy and address a barrier to housing development, in partnership with the Conservation Authorities Working Group and developers.
The proposed Guide is intended to provide advice for implementing land use planning policies related to watershed and subwatershed planning, in coordination with planning for water, wastewater and stormwater servicing, water resources, drinking water source protection, and climate change resilience.
The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks is moving forward with Phase 2 regulations to improve the governance, oversight, transparency and accountability of conservation authority (CA) operations. These new regulations and provincial policy build on the first phase of regulations put in place in October 2021 and support recent amendments to the Conservation Authorities Act that focus CAs on their core mandate.
The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks is seeking public input on a proposal for a permit from Metrolinx under the Endangered Species Act, 2007 in relation to the Yonge North Subway Extension, which may adversely impact species at risk. The proposal considers avoidance options, reasonable alternatives, and proposed actions to minimize adverse effects to the species.
The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks is proposing regulations and related actions to move toward a project-list approach for projects that will require a comprehensive environmental assessment under the Environmental Assessment Act.
The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks is seeking public input on a proposal to amend an existing permit (ERO# 019-2243) that was issued to Metrolinx on August 7, 2020 under the Endangered Species Act, 2007 for the Ontario Line subway in Toronto. The amendment will expand the area in which the existing permit applies by approximately 35 hectares.
Changes have been made to the Planning Act, Municipal Act, 2001 and City of Toronto Act, 2006 providing municipalities with discretionary authority to delegate additional decisions to committees of council or municipal staff for minor amendments to zoning by-laws.
The Ministry of Transportation released a discussion paper to inform the development of a long-term transportation plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe.
The paper proposes a 30-year vision for mobility in the region, designed to meet collective goals and the transportation challenges of the future, and near-term actions that can be taken now to achieve this vision.
The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) is proposing to put on hold the Environmental Assessment application for the Upper York Sewage Solution. The government intends to establish an Expert Advisory Panel to provide advice on options to address wastewater servicing capacity needs in York Region.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is seeking feedback on proposed approaches and concepts to inform fisheries management planning for Fisheries Management Zone 16 in southwestern Ontario.
The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) is proposing new regulations to focus conservation authorities on their core mandate by prescribing mandatory programs and services they must provide, giving municipalities greater control over what conservation authority programs and services they will fund, consolidating “Conservation Areas” regulations, and requiring community advisory boards.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has developed a regulation proposal under the Invasive Species Act, 2015 that would classify 13 species as either prohibited or restricted invasive species, make related changes as a result of the classification of these species, and regulate watercraft as a carrier of invasive species.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has drafted Ontario’s Strategy to Address the Threat of Invasive Wild Pigs, which outlines a proactive approach to prevent the establishment of invasive wild pigs in the province.
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is proposing changes to the Planning Act related to control of the division of land (subdivision control, plans of subdivision, consents and validations), as well as other housekeeping or consequential changes to the Act.
The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) is proposing to update its Statement of Environmental Values (SEV) in order to reflect its current vision, mandate and business, acknowledge the priority of addressing climate change, and ensure up-to-date references.
The Government of Canada has proposed regulations to be made under the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act (S.C. 2018, c. 12, s. 186) that would set out requirements for the operational aspects of a federal, voluntary greenhouse gas (GHG) offset credit system that will be administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is seeking feedback on ways to grow the size of the Greenbelt.
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has made changes to the Planning Act so that zoning orders are not subject to the legislative requirement to be consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement.
Learn About the Canada Water Agency Initiative
The Government of Canada is creating a new Canada Water Agency to work together with the provinces, territories, Indigenous communities, local authorities, scientists, and others to find the best ways to keep our water safe, clean and well-managed.
As committed to in its Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan, the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) is proposing an amendment to its Statement of Environmental Values (SEV) in order to reflect changes in its mandate, to fulfill a commitment in the Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan with the addition of a climate change section, and to add a five-year review period.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is seeking feedback on a regulatory proposal that would implement the recent amendments to the Drainage Act. The new regulation would reduce burden, streamline approvals, and address stakeholder concerns while maintaining environmental standards.
The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) is moving forward with guidance to help enhance the management of water takings in areas where quantity is a concern and where there are competing demands for water.
MECP is also revoking the interim guidance on water bottling renewals at the same time that the enhancements to Ontario’s water taking program will be put in place on April 1, 2021.
The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) released a discussion paper for public consultation to help develop Ontario’s first ever hydrogen strategy, which will help create local jobs, attract investment, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
