Ontario Proposes Project List For Comprehensive Environmental Assessment

The Government of Ontario has released a proposed list of projects that will be subject to Comprehensive Environmental Assessment (EA) under the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act (EAA). This proposal is a key step in Ontario's efforts to modernize the provincial EA process, moving toward a project list approach that is consistent with the federal impact assessment and other provincial EA frameworks. In the coming months, Ontario plans to release a second list of projects that will be subject to a less onerous, streamlined EA process.

What you need to know

• According to the proposal by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP), the Comprehensive EA project list covers large-scale projects in six categories:
  1. Electricity—including certain transmission lines, transformer stations, hydroelectric facilities, and generation facilities that use oil as a fuel (but excluding wind and solar facilities).