The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change is conducting consultations on a proposed new regulation for reusing excess soil. The proposal is designed to enhance opportunities for the beneficial reuse of excess soil, while protecting human health and the environment from inappropriately moved soil. Feedback collected by the ministry will help to inform a new proposed regulation under the Environmental Protection Act.
Find out more about this proposal here.
As extreme weather becomes more prevalent across Canada, water-related damage has become the primary source of property insurance claims. However, municipalities have not developed stronger capacity to anticipate and mitigate potential flood damage. A new paper from the Institute of Municipal Finance and Governance (IMFG) examines the tools that are available to cities to reduce their exposure to the risks of flood damage. According to the paper:
Climate change poses significant risks for Canadian municipalities, particularly in the form of extreme weather, such as severe thunderstorms, ice storms, hailstorms, windstorms, blizzards, and tornadoes. Canada’s major cities are especially vulnerable to extreme weather, due to their large, dense populations, valuable and geographically concentrated property, and complex, interdependent infrastructure networks, all of which are susceptible to threats from localized climate hazards.
Read the full paper here.
The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change released a paper last week that outlines its strategy to divert more waste from landfills. The province’s Strategy for a Waste-Free Ontario: Building the Circular Economy outlines the provinces proposed actions to fight climate change by reducing the amount of waste the ends up in landfills instead of being reused, recycled, composted, or reintegrated into the economy.
You can find the full strategy here.
A new paper from the Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance (IMFG) reviews the strategies of three cities that are leading the charge to fight climate change. According to the paper the three common and effective strategies in these municipalities are:
You can read the full paper here.
The province is developing a plan for helping municipalities measure, cap and cut their carbon emissions. According to the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, the province’s framework for municipalities will be developed over the next two years, and will include actions to help municipalities improve local land-use policies, strengthen local energy planning, and reduce traffic congestion and emissions from all forms of transportation.
The Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance is hosting an event on how municipalities can better prepare themselves for extreme weather as the global climate shifts. See below for a full description of the event, which will be held in Toronto on February 28, 2017. Register here.
Tackling the Storm out of the Norm: Climate Risk Management Strategies for Canadian Cities
Description
Severe thunderstorms, flooding, hail and icestorms, and blizzards increasingly threaten Canadian cities. As the global climate shifts, Canadian cities face significant and costly risks from extreme weather. These costs are enhanced in cities because they have large, dense populations, valuable and geographically concentrated property, and complex infrastructure networks. What tools are available to local governments seeking to share the growing risks associated with a changing climate with other levels of government and non-governmental actors?
This talk is the first in a series of IMFG publications and events on climate change and Canadian cities.
About the Speakers
Daniel Henstra is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Waterloo. His research centres on public administration and public policy, with a focus on emergency management, climate adaptation, and flood risk governance. Within these subject areas, he investigates multilevel policy processes involving federal, provincial, and municipal governments, and the complex, networked relationships among elected officials, public servants, stakeholders, and the public.
Jason Thistlethwaite is Assistant Professor in the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED) at the University of Waterloo. His research focuses on the financial risks of climate change, natural disasters, and extreme weather. His recent work explores the role of insurance and government risk management in promoting climate change adaptation and reducing economic vulnerability at the local level.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and most of Canada’s provincial premiers signed a pan-Canadian climate deal last week. The deal includes targets to help Canada meet its 2030 emissions reduction targets. With the exception of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, all other provinces signed on to the deal which is designed to help Canada fulfill it’s commitments under the Paris Accord.
For more:
The government has introduced legislation that would amend the Mining Act and the Aggregate Resources Act. The legislation is designed to introduce stronger oversight, enhanced environmental accountability, better information and participation, and increased fees and royalties for the government. You can find a summary of this proposed legislation here. The government is accepting comments on this legislation until December 5, 2016.
For more:
Bill 39, Aggregate Resources and Mining Modernization Act, 2016
Today the federal and provincial governments announced a bilateral agreement that will make more than $1.1 billion of combined funding (federal government will provide $570 million, provincial government will fund $270 million, and municipalities and first nations will make up the rest) available to municipalities and First Nations communities under the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund (CWWF). As part of the announcement the government also revealed an initial list of 41 projects that have been approved for funding under the program:
| Location | Project Name | Federal Funding | Provincial Funding | Anticipated Start Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
City of Barrie |
Hotchkiss Creek Expansion- Essa, Anne to Gowan |
$2,200,000 |
$1,100,000 |
January 1, 2017 |
|
City of Barrie |
Memorial Square Redevelopment – flood prevention |
$175,000 |
$87,500 |
January 2, 2017 |
|
City of Barrie |
Sanitary Servicing – Royal Oak, Bay, Cottage (Federal Funding Name: Sanitary Servicing to Reduce Phosphorus to Lake Simcoe- Royal Oak, Bay, Cottage) |
$5,950,000 |
$2,975,000 |
January 1, 2017 |
|
City of Barrie |
Stormwater Management Pond Retrofit – Hotchkiss Creek at Bryne Drive |
$226,500 |
$113,250 |
January 1, 2017 |
|
City of Barrie |
Water, Wastewater and Stormwater Master Plans and Needs Studies |
$900,000 |
$450,000 |
September 30, 2016 |
|
City of Brampton |
Environmental Assessment Strategic Plan and Sustainability Framework for the Downtown Etobicoke Creek Revitalization Project |
$175,000 |
$87,500 |
January 30, 2017 |
|
City of Brampton |
Etobicoke Creek Valley Landfill Assessment |
$150,000 |
$75,000 |
January 30, 2017 |
|
City of Brampton |
Storm Sewer Network Assessment |
$625,000 |
$312,500 |
January 30, 2017 |
|
City of Brampton |
Central Area Storm Sewer Modelling |
$600,000 |
$300,000 |
January 30, 2017 |
|
City of Brampton |
Upper 9 Stormwater Management Pond Retrofit |
$325,000 |
$162,500 |
April 1, 2017 |
|
City of Brampton |
Stormwater Management Pond Retrofits |
$1,000,000 |
$500,000 |
April 1, 2017 |
|
City of Brampton |
Stormwater Management Pond Sediment Removal |
$800,000 |
$400,000 |
January 30, 2017 |
|
City of Brampton |
Modulation of Thermal Effects in Stormwater Management Pond Discharge |
$196,192 |
$98,096 |
January 30, 2017 |
|
City of Brampton |
Integrated Stormwater Management for Erosion Control |
$1,000,000 |
$500,000 |
January 30, 2017 |
|
City of Brampton |
Fletcher’s Creek Roadway Stormwater Conveyance Control |
$500,000 |
$250,000 |
January 30, 2017 |
|
City of Greater Sudbury |
1st Avenue – upgrade to main water line in Coniston |
$1,935,000 |
$967,500 |
November 1, 2016 |
|
City of Greater Sudbury |
Spruce Street – upgrade of water main water line |
$2,128,500 |
$1,064,250 |
November 1, 2016 |
|
City of Greater Sudbury |
York Street – Regent Street to Paris Street – Water Main Lining |
$250,000 |
$125,000 |
May 1, 2017 |
|
City of Greater Sudbury |
Strathmere Court – Robinson Drive East to Robinson Drive West – Water Main Lining |
$125,000 |
$62,500 |
May 1, 2017 |
|
City of Greater Sudbury |
Mikkola Road – Culvert Replacement at Kantola Road |
$80,000 |
$40,000 |
May 1, 2017 |
|
City of Greater Sudbury |
Westmount Avenue – Culvert Replacement – Greenvale Court |
$255,000 |
$127,500 |
May 1, 2017 |
|
City of Greater Sudbury |
Yorkshire Drive – Culvert Replacement near Sewer Plant |
$125,000 |
$62,500 |
May 1, 2017 |
|
City of Greater Sudbury |
Manninen Road – Culvert Replacement |
$90,000 |
$45,000 |
May 1, 2017 |
|
City of Greater Sudbury |
Edward Avenue – Culvert Replacement |
$90,000 |
$45,000 |
May 1, 2017 |
|
City of Greater Sudbury |
Seguin Street – Culvert Replacement |
$120,000 |
$60,000 |
May 1, 2017 |
|
City of Greater Sudbury |
Nickel Basin Road – McKenzie Creek Culvert Replacement |
$250,000 |
$125,000 |
May 1, 2017 |
|
City of Greater Sudbury |
MR55 – Culvert Replacement |
$315,000 |
$157,500 |
May 1, 2017 |
|
City of Greater Sudbury |
Tilton Lake Road – Culvert Replacement |
$165,000 |
$82,500 |
May 1, 2017 |
|
City of Greater Sudbury |
Strathmere Court – Robinson Drive East to Robinson Drive West – Sewer Main Lining |
$50,000 |
$25,000 |
May 1, 2017 |
|
City of Greater Sudbury |
York Street – Regent Street to Paris Street – Sewer Main Lining |
$55,000 |
$27,500 |
May 1, 2017 |
|
City of Greater Sudbury |
Stormwater Asset Management Plan |
$200,000 |
$100,000 |
January 15, 2017 |
|
City of Greater Sudbury |
David Street – Storm Water Outlet Treatment Station – Design & Construction |
$800,000 |
$400,000 |
October 15, 2016 |
|
City of Guelph |
Metcalfe Street Reconstruction – Phase 1 |
$1,797,890 |
$898,945 |
October 1, 2016 |
|
City of Guelph |
Snow Disposal Facility Upgrade |
$2,500,000 |
$1,250,000 |
October 1, 2016 |
|
City of Guelph |
Stormwater Management and Pond Maintenance |
$750,000 |
$375,000 |
January 1, 2017 |
|
City of Toronto |
Essroc Quay Lake Filling and Naturalization – Port Lands Flood Protection |
$32,500,000 |
$16,250,000 |
October 1, 2016 |
|
Municipality of Wawa |
Membrane Filters at Water Treatment Plant |
$60,262 |
$30,131 |
January 1, 2017 |
|
Regional Municipality of Waterloo |
Hespeler Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrades |
$2,000,000 |
$1,000,000 |
July 1, 2016 |
|
Regional Municipality of Waterloo |
Preston Wastewater Treatment Plan Upgrades |
$1,500,000 |
$750,000 |
June 1, 2016 |
|
Regional Municipality of Waterloo |
Foxboro Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrades |
$1,500,000 |
$750,000 |
April 1, 2017 |
|
Regional Municipality of Waterloo |
Mannheim Reservoirs Inlet Piping Upgrades |
$2,115,979 |
$1,057,990 |
July 1, 2016 |
For more:
News Release: Canada and Ontario Reach Agreement Under the New Clean Water and Wastewater Fund
The government of Ontario is reviewing the province’s Environmental Bill of Rights to ensure that it is achieving its objectives. The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change has prepared a discussion guide that outlines relevant sections of the current Environmental Bill of Rights as well as a series of questions to help guide feedback from stakeholders and the public.
Comments can be submitted to the Ministry until November 8, 2016. You can find more information about this consultation here.
For more:
Discussion Guide–Review of Ontario’s Environmental Bill of Rights
AMCTO Policy 