MNR Public Consultations
As the Ministry continues to work through it’s permit reform initiative, several public consultations have been posted on the Environmental Registry of Ontario. NOTO staff recommends that operators participate in the public consultations, and let us know of any concerns they may have so that they may be reflected in our submissions. Links to each proposal & public consultations are in blue.
Travel Permits:
- We continue to run our survey: SURVEY LINK
- MNR recently put out a proposal to allow travel on closed roads, without the need for a travel permit, in the following situations.
- To be clear, this does not mean that everyone will be able to access and travel on closed roads. Individuals who do not have a permit or business that they need to access will be required to apply for a travel permit, where they will likely be issued a fee under these new regulations. Individuals must travel directly to the place they are authorized to access (ex: LUP) and can not stop or wander in other areas.
- Our initial thoughts are while these changes could be positive for tourism, we need to ensure that MNR enforcement will be on the land base to ensure that individuals without authorization are not taking advantage of closed roads. There is tremendous value in remoteness.
- NOTO staff have also requested a meeting with MNR staff to bring forward operators concerns.
Replace Class Environmental Assessments with Project Evaluation Policy:
- MNR put forward a public consultation proposing to revoke Class Environmental Assessments and replace it with a new Project Evaluation Policy (PEP).
- Many RBT-related items are likely to be exempt from the PEP process which would reduce a lot of administrative burdens for operators. You can view the full list of potential exempt projects by clicking here.
- View NOTO’s submission by clicking here.
There are four more proposals that we will be discussing with our Consultant in the coming days:
1) Strengthening Enforcement and Compliance Tools and Processes:
- This proposal aims to modernize and improve the efficiency of enforcement and compliance tools in the Act and enable ministry staff to work with people and businesses to achieve compliance with reduced reliance on court processes.
2) Allow Dry Hydrants on Public Land:
- Dry hydrants are non-pressurized pipes installed along a water source, such as a lake or river, to provide water for fire protection or fire suppression. MNR is proposing to allow dry hydrants on public lands to support activities related to infrastructure.
3) Removal of Forest Resources (Trees) for Non-Forestry Activities
- This proposal aims to allow the removal of trees on Crown land for non-forestry purposes under a permit-by-rule framework including:
- under 2 ha: no permit of registration required if the activity approved by some other permitting (e.g. EA, LUP, etc.) – simply keep a record of the approval and any Indigenous engagement
- over 2 ha: registration required where the activity approved by some other permitting, but must follow a set of rules to be established.
4) Streamline Natural Resource Permits: Fish and Wildlife Modernization
- This proposal aims to streamline permits for the collection of fish and wildlife for scientific or educational purposes, changing rules surrounding harassing wildlife for property protection on private land, allow low risk beaver dam removal without needing authorization (would shift to a project registration system with set rules), and allowing the removal of nests if there is an immediate fire hazard (ex: on hydro lines).