Amendments to the Service of Documents Regulation under the Ontario Water Resources Act

We have made amendments to O. Reg. 226/07: Service of Documents to allow the director to serve Permits to Take Water through the ministry’s electronic system.

The amendments would also allow us to serve other permission documents electronically if they are transitioned to electronic service delivery in the future. These include:

• well technician licences
• well construction permits
• sewage works operator licences

The amendments also outline the types of documents that cannot be served by filling in an applicant’s ministry account. For example, a copy of an order, report or direction made under the OWRA. These types of documents are excluded because they implement decisions made by the director on his or her own initiative, as enforcement actions or otherwise. Other methods of service recognized under the OWRA would have to be used for these decisions, including mail, fax, and courier.

The amendments align O. Reg. 226/07 with other Service of Documents regulations under the Environmental Protection Act and Pesticides Act that allow us to serve other permission documents (e.g. Environmental Compliance Approvals, Pesticides licences) through our electronic system.

Electronic service delivery of the Permit to Take Water program and amendments to O. Reg. 226/07 will not:

• result in any costs to business
• change the environmental protection requirements of the Permit to Take Water program

Allowing Permits to Take Water to be issued electronically through the ministry’s electronic system supports our goal to develop a people-centred, digital-first approach to government services that enable simpler and faster service delivery.