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432-00730 (Environment)
Original language of petition: English
Petition to the Government of Canada
Whereas:
- The Town of Erin has been permitted to dump effluent into the West Credit River at one of the most ecologically sensitive areas that will forever change the water temperature and the life cycle of the brook trout in Belfountain;
- The downstream community was not informed appropriately of this project and so were not able to participate effectively in the consultation or the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal process;
- The cumulative impacts and cultural impacts have not been addressed by either the Town of Caledon, the Town of Erin or the provincial Minister of the Environment;
- The West Credit River is one of the last pristine cold-water fisheries in the Greater Golden Horseshoe, home to native brook trout, and providing enriched biodiversity for communities in the headwaters and downstream to Lake Ontario;
- The brook trout spawning grounds (nests) were not counted accurately nor at the appropriate time of year;
- The provincial environmental assessments did not address critical water temperature fluctuations that will impact the life cycle and sustainability of the brook trout, nor did it address the impacts of deoxygenated plumes at the site of the diffuser pipe;
- The Belfountain community is facing multiple threats from the impacts of aggregate extraction, including increased dust, noise, pollution, road salt and traffic; and
- As a UNESCO World Biosphere, more consideration must be given to protect the carbon sink of the Greater Toronto Area.
We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to redress the discrepancies in the approved provincial environmental assessment by requesting a federal environmental impact assessment.
Response by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable JONATHAN WILKINSON
On February 25, 2021, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change received a request to designate the Erin Wastewater Treatment Plant Project from the Coalition for the West Credit River.
Under subsection 9(1) of the Impact Assessment Act (the IAA), the Minister has the authority to designate a project that is not listed in the Physical Activities Regulations if, in his opinion, either the carrying out of the project may cause adverse effects within federal jurisdiction or adverse direct or incidental effects, or public concerns related to those effects warrant the designation. Upon receiving a request to designate a project, the Minister must issue a response with reasons within 90 days after the day the request is received.
The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (the Agency) supports the Minister in exercising his authority under section 9 of the IAA. The Agency will prepare advice and recommendations to the Minister to inform his determination. To inform its recommendations, the Agency may seek information from the proponent, federal authorities, the province, other jurisdictions and potentially affected Indigenous groups, and seek further input from the requestor.
The Minister’s determination on whether the project warrants designation will take into account, among other factors, the potential adverse effects within federal jurisdiction caused by the project, including those raised by the petitioners; standard design features and mitigation measures that may address the anticipated adverse effects; and the public concerns related to those effects.
The Minister’s authority to designate a project is typically exercised under exceptional circumstances where the project has the potential to cause adverse effects in areas of federal jurisdiction and where there are no other regulatory oversight mechanisms to address these effects.
If the Minister designates a project, the proponent of the project would be required to submit an initial Project Description to the Agency in accordance with section 10 of the IAA.
May 26, 2021, is the 90-day legislated time limit for the Minister to provide his response to the February 25, 2021, request. The Minister’s decision with reasons will be posted on the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry, and the requestor will be provided the Minister’s response directly.
- Presented to the House of Commons
-
Kyle Seeback
(Dufferin—Caledon)
March 25, 2021 (Petition No. 432-00730) - Government response tabled
- May 10, 2021
Only validated signatures are counted towards the total number of signatures.