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The ministry is moving forward with regulatory amendments to streamline environmental permissions for water taking activities necessary to meet the province’s growing needs for critical infrastructure and housing development. These changes will help get important projects built faster while maintaining environmental protection.

We amended regulations under the Mining Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Environmental Bill of Rights that came into force on April 1, 2021. The amended regulations include updating section references to align with the legislative amendments to the Mining Act, which received Royal Assent on December 10, 2019, under Bill 132.

We have issued an amended Environmental Compliance Approval (waste disposal site) No. 9256-7PKJQH to Hornepayne Power Inc., for the update of total site capacity, reclamation of wood waste, and changes to the monitoring program for the Woodwaste Disposal Site located at Hornepayne, Ontario.

We have renewed Permit to Take Water No. 1878-B2EQ6G was for industrial purposes. Water will be taken from Red Lake - McKenzie Channel related to processing water activities, located in the Municipality of Red Lake, District of Kenora, Ontario.

We have finalized a Guide which will help municipalities and climate change practitioners to complete greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories and develop community emissions reduction plans. The Guide supports actions on climate change, energy planning, the Growth Plan, 2017 policies, and Ontario's Five-Year Climate Change Action Plan, 2016-2020. 

We made regulatory amendments to support a smooth transition from the federal OBPS to Ontario’s EPS program which applies new obligations and greenhouse gas performance standards for Ontario industry beginning on January 1, 2022. The amendments complement the changes proposed in 019-3719.

We have made regulations and taken related actions to move Ontario to a project list approach under the Environmental Assessment Act. Projects that require a comprehensive environmental assessment are now set out in regulation.

Aaroc Aggregates Ltd. underwent a corporate name change in March 2024 to J-AAR Materials Limited. J-AAR Materials Limited was issued a licence to extract aggregate from a pit in the Township of Zorra.

The new regulation under the Planning Act outlines details for the implementation of the community benefits charge authority and parkland dedication. This reg. is part of the framework that provides municipalities with the tools necessary to fund services that growing communities need while making the costs of building housing more predictable.

The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks has ended the Drive Clean light vehicle program and will be proposing changes to the heavy diesel commercial motor vehicles program and strengthened on-road enforcement.

We finalized the amended and restated Operating Agreement between the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks and the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority. The amendments will help ensure transparent and effective oversight for Ontario’s producer responsibility model and will address necessary administrative changes.

We have changed the boundaries of Stoco Fen Provincial Park to add about 150 hectares of land. The new area includes three parcels of land donated by Quinte Conservation and two small parcels of unopened road allowance. Increasing the size of the park will help protect this provincially significant wetland.

The order was issued.  

On July 1, 2019, amendments to O. Reg. 509/18 made under the Electricity Act, 1998 came into force. These amendments further harmonize requirements for six products with Canadian and U.S. standards, and make editorial changes to keep the regulation up-to-date.

All proposed regulation amendments and part of the proposed Provincial Standards amendments will be implemented.

On October 28, 2024, an amendment to O.Reg. 509/18, made under the Electricity Act, 1998 was filed to harmonize the efficiency standards for 42 products through rolling incorporation by reference to Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) standards, and to revoke obsolete efficiency requirements for three products regulated under O.Reg. 509/18.