This Study will follow the planning process for a Group ‘B’ project under the MTO Class Environmental Assessment for Provincial Transportation Facilities (2000), with the opportunity for public input throughout the project.
Ontario Environmental Assessment Act (OEAA)
MTO Class EA Process
The purpose of the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act (OEAA) is to help protect and conserve Ontario's environment by ensuring that projects subject to the OEAA follow a planning process leading to environmentally sound decision-making.
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation’s (MTO) Class Environmental Assessment for Provincial Transportation Facilities (2000) outlines the Environmental Assessment process to be followed for specific groups of provincial transportation projects. The Class Environmental Assessment is approved under the Act and provides a streamlined process for which projects or activities within a defined “class” must follow. Provided that this process is followed, projects and activities included under the Class Environmental Assessment do not require formal review and approval under the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act.
Project groupings within the Class Environmental Assessment have been established for the purposes of consultation, documentation and formal Environmental Assessment challenge (Part II Order).
The groups, within the Class Environmental Assessment, are as follows:
- Group "A" - Projects involving new facilities
- Group "B" - Projects involving major improvements to existing facilities*
- Group "C" - Projects involving minor improvements to existing facilities
- Group "D" - Activities that involve operation, maintenance, administration, and miscellaneous work for provincial transportation facilities
For projects subject to the Class Environmental Assessment, the project team undertakes an environmental assessment that involves identifying and planning for environmental issues and effects prior to implementing a project. The process allows reasonable opportunities for public involvement in the decision-making process of the project.
Other aspects of the environmental assessment process applicable to these project types are contained in the Class Environmental Assessment for Provincial Transportation Facilities (2000). Readers interested in these matters are encouraged to refer to that document.