Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Ltd. - Environmental Compliance Approval (sewage)

Comments regarding incorrect identification of location for file review and difficulty in viewing materials

• Ministry Response: The proposal was posted on the Environmental Registry (ERO number 019-0674) for a period of 45 days from October 4 to November 18, 2019 and is now closed for comments. The application was available upon request to be viewed by request to Client Services and Permissions Branch located at 135 St Clair Ave West or Drinking Water and Environmental Compliance Division - Northern Region (North Bay) at 191 Booth Road.

Comments regarding quantity control and runoff volume entering Cooks Creek

• Ministry Response: The site has been designed to control post-development runoff to pre-development runoff rates by the use of an orifice plate in combination with an overflow weir. The Rainfall Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) curves for the City of North Bay (taken from Ministry of Transportation IDF Curve Lookup) were used to calculate the peak flow rates for the pre-development and post-development conditions and were hydrologically modeled for all storm events up to and including the 100-year storm event. From the results of the modeling, it has been shown that the installation of the orifice and overflow weir results in the post-development stormwater release rate being less than the pre-development rate for all storm events up to and including the 100-year storm event.

Comments regarding provisions made for the safety of the Blanding’s turtles in the area

• Ministry Response: Dillon Consulting Limited (Dillon) was retained by Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited (the Proponent) to complete natural environment services for the proposed development. Dillon and the proponent have been considering this project and potential impacts to Species at Risk (SAR) throughout the planning stage of this development. On March 27, 2019, The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) issued a Letter to the proponent (NB-LOA-005-19) stating that “Ministry staff have determined that the activities associated with the project, as currently proposed, will likely not contravene section 9 (species protection) or section 10 (habitat protection) of the Endangered Species Act, 2007 for Blanding’s Turtle or Eastern Hog-nosed Snake”. An additional discussion was held between with the Ministry's Species at Risk specialist who confirmed that increased temperature from the stormwater runoff to the creek will not have any adverse effect on the Blanding's Turtle habitat, and it is not expected that Total Suspended Solids (TSS) discharge from the site's effluent will have a major impact on the Blanding’s Turtles.


• Ministry Response: The ministry has imposed effluent objectives to ensure that the quality of the effluent discharged from the Works minimizes impairment to the receiving watercourse and the endangered species and their habitat. These objectives are to be used as a mechanism to trigger corrective action proactively and voluntarily before environmental impairment occurs.

Comments regarding lack of information about monitoring data to verify effects of the works on the receiver and frequency of inspection of the Oil and Grit separator

• Ministry Response: The ministry has imposed effluent monitoring conditions to require the owner to demonstrate on a continual basis that the quality and quantity of the effluent from the approved works is consistent with the effluent objectives specified in the Approval and that the approved Works does not cause any impairment to the receiving watercourse or on the endangered species and their habitat.


• Ministry Response: The ministry has imposed operation and maintenance conditions requiring the preparation of an operation and maintenance schedule such as regular inspection and necessary removal of sediment and excessive decaying vegetation from the works are required to mitigate the impact of sediment, debris and/or decaying vegetation on the treatment capacity of the works. This condition is included to ensure that the works are operated and maintained to function as designed.


• Ministry Response: The ministry will require the owner to maintain a logbook to record the results of these inspections and any cleaning and maintenance operations undertaken and shall keep the logbook at the owner's administrative office for inspection by the ministry.　

Comments regarding improper erosion and sediment control measures

• Ministry Response: The North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority have reviewed and approved the erosion and sediment controls and have issued a permit for the Development, Interference with Wetlands and Alterations to Shorelines and Watercourses, permit number 19-19 dated May 22, 2019. Correspondence from the North Bay Mattawa Conservation Authority confirms that the site was visited and inspected, and controls were set up, with no concerns raised by the Conservation Authority while on site. The ministry has imposed temporary erosion and sediment control condition on the ECA as installation, regular inspection and maintenance of the temporary sediment and erosion control measures is required to mitigate the impact on the downstream receiving watercourse during construction.