New rules set out how Part II.4 environmental assessment projects must be started and managed in Ontario

Plain-language summary · AI-assisted · not legal advice

A brand-new regulation establishes the full procedural framework that project proponents must follow to commence and proceed with "Part II.4" projects under Ontario's Environmental Assessment Act. Proponents must complete a streamlined environmental assessment process—publishing draft and final reports on a project website, notifying adjacent landowners, Indigenous communities, and other interested parties, and allowing at least 30 days for public comment before publishing a final report. After the final report is posted, a minimum 35-day waiting period applies before work can begin, during which the Minister may intervene by order. Once underway, any project change must be classified as significant or non-significant, each triggering its own consultation, addendum, and waiting-period requirements; projects not substantially started within 10 years must undergo a formal review before resuming. A separate modified process applies to projects with an archaeological focus, requiring licensed archaeologist assessments of project areas (including submerged land) and registration of reports in the Ontario Public Register of Archaeological Reports before proceeding. Proponents should review which project category applies to them, set up a compliant project website, and build the prescribed notice, consultation, and waiting periods into their project timelines.

Who this affects: project proponents subject to Part II.4 environmental assessment · infrastructure and development project developers · Indigenous communities near proposed projects · adjacent landowners · licensed archaeologists working on EA projects