Ontario needs an updated…

Ontario needs an updated Environmental Assessment Act, current Ontario Environmental Assessment Act is too old, far behind the date.

First, it needs to be updated is Environmental Assessment Act MUST apply on all projects as long as the project has potential environmental impacts, no matter the project is government project or private facility project. It is unreasonable that the law does not required private facility project do environmental assessment even it has potential environmental impacts.

Second, it should add that heavy industrial facility project must keep enough separation distance between its site and commercial/residential land uses. For those heavy industrial facilities which do not have enough separation distance from sensitive land uses, i.e. commercial/residential land uses, their operations will cause or may cause the adverse effects to surrounding people, Ministry should not consider their projects.

Third, public consultation should not only notice on the website, also should notice by mail to surrounding communities.

The above suggestions come from our community painful experience:

In our community, an asphalt plant is among commercial properties and very closes to residential areas. It set here in late 1999, while in 1990 Ontario had Environmental Protection Act, and in 1995 had land use guideline, according to guideline the heavy industrial facility like asphalt plant should be minimum 300 meters away from commercial/residential land uses, but this asphalt plant site was adjacent to commercial land uses and only 250m away from residential area.

This asphalt plant's setting had no environmental assessment, no public member knew its setting. After it set here, it caused very bad impacts to surrounding people, thousands complaints to Ministry and City, even brought the issue to court. It caused too much lose in public health, surrounding other businesses (hundreds businesses here contributions to our economics is much more than that small asphalt plant), and residential enjoyment. Until today, this asphalt plant still cannot comply with EPA.

If at the beginning Ministry did environmental assessment, followed the land use guideline, had public consultation, all of these troubles and loses could be avoided. We hope new environmental assessment process can really protect public health and safety, protect environment, protect our economics.