Ontario – Proposal for New Conservation Authorities Act Regulation (Ministerial Authority)
On April 5, 2024, as part of the government’s ongoing reform of the Conservation Authorities Act, the Ontario government announced consultation on a new regulation to specify situations in which the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry may issue an order to prevent a conservation authority from making a permitting decision, make the permitting decision in the place of a conservation authority, or undertake a review of a conservation authority permitting decision.
While a list of various provincial interests to which the Minister may intervene is provided (e.g., housing supply, highway infrastructure) in the proposal, the proposed list does not mention dams, water control structures or related infrastructure.
Information on the regulatory proposal is available at: https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/019-8320