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ARTICLE · 03 AUGUST 2020

Life In The Fast Lane: "Priority" Highway Projects Exempt From Environmental Assessment Obligations Under Bill 197

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The Environmental Assessment Act currently requires the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks ("MECP") to consider the environmental impacts of Ministry of Transportation ("MTO") projects.

CanadaEnvironment
Anna Côté
Anna Côté
Larissa Parker
Larissa Parker
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What Bill 197 changes - Overview

The Environmental Assessment Act currently requires the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks ("MECP") to consider the environmental impacts of Ministry of Transportation ("MTO") projects.

Alongside the July 8th introduction of Bill 197 and its major amendments to the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act (EAA), the Province announced a package of numerous EAA instruments proposing additional changes to the EA regime, including  a future regulation to exempt specific MTO projects - all highways - from the EAA. The MTO has identified these as "priority projects", a characterization that is expressly noted in their proposed exemptions. The provincial government says that these exemptions will be made subject to conditions.

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