Appendix A: Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks Offices

Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
777 Bay Street
Toronto ON M7A 2J3
minister.mecp@ontario.ca

For project-specific inquiries, please contact the relevant Environmental Assessment Coordinators listed below. For general questions regarding the interpretation of the guide, regulations, or requirements, please reach out to the EA Branch.

Environmental Assessment Branch
Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
135 St Clair Ave W, Toronto, ON M4V 1P5 
Tel: 416-314-8001 
Toll-free: 1-800-461-6290 
Fax: 416-314-8452 
Website: Environmental assessments

Environmental Assessment Branch 
Central Region Environmental Assessment Coordinator
Eastern Region Environmental Assessment Coordinator 
Northern Region Environmental Assessment Coordinator
Southwestern Region Environmental Assessment Coordinator
West Central Region Environmental Assessment Coordinator

Appendix B: Screening criteria

The screening criteria below are to be applied to every project being reviewed under the environmental screening process. The proponent must provide responses to each of the following questions, based on current knowledge or preliminary investigations, by placing a checkmark in the appropriate box.

If the proponent is uncertain of the response to a question, it is the proponent’s responsibility to conduct further studies or consultation to accurately answer the question.

If a response to a question indicates “Yes”, there is potential for negative environmental effects, the proponent must provide additional information and analysis in the screening report to describe those effects, identify mitigation or impact management measures to prevent or reduce the effects, and assess the significance of any remaining net effects.

This screening must focus on the potential for negative environmental effects resulting from the project (see glossary for a description of negative environmental effects). For the purpose of completing this checklist, mitigation or impact management measures are not considered. They are considered at the subsequent step when determining net effects. Each criterion is based on a question which is prefaced with the phrase: Will the project.

1. Surface and ground water

Will the project:

  1. have negative effects on surface water quality, quantities or flow?
  2. have negative effects on ground water quality, quantity or movement?
  3. cause significant sedimentation, soil erosion or shoreline or riverbank erosion on or off-site?
  4. cause potential negative effects on surface or ground water from accidental spills or releases to the environment?

2. Land

Will the project:

  1. have negative effects on residential, commercial or institutional land uses within 500 metres of the site?
  2. be inconsistent with the Provincial Policy Statement, provincial land use or resource management plans?
  3. be inconsistent with municipal land use policies, plans and zoning bylaws?
  4. use hazard lands or unstable lands subject to erosion?
  5. have potential negative effects related to the remediation of contaminated land?

3. Air and noise

Will the project:

  1. have negative effects on air quality due to emissions of nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, suspended particulates, or other pollutants?
  2. cause negative effects from the emission of greenhouse gases (CO2, methane)?
  3. cause negative effects from the emission of dust or odour?
  4. cause negative effects from the emission of noise?

4. Natural environment

Will the project:

  1. cause negative effects on rare, threatened or endangered species of flora or fauna or their habitat?
  2. cause negative effects on protected natural areas such as ANSIs, ESAs or other significant natural areas?
  3. cause negative effects on wetlands?
  4. have negative effects on wildlife habitat, populations, corridors or movement?
  5. have negative effects on fish or their habitat, spawning, movement or environmental conditions or example, water temperature, turbidity, etc.)?
  6. have negative effects on migratory birds, including effects on their habitat or staging areas?
  7. have negative effects on locally important or valued ecosystems or vegetation?

5. Resources

Will the project:

  1. result in inefficient (below 40%) use of a non-renewable resource (efficiency is defined as the ratio of output energy to input energy, where output energy includes electricity produced plus useful heat captured)?
  2. have negative effects on the use of Canada Land Inventory Class 1-3, specialty crop or locally significant agricultural lands?
  3. have negative effects on existing agricultural production?
  4. have negative effects on the availability of mineral, aggregate or petroleum resources?
  5. have negative effects on the availability of forest resources?
  6. have negative effects on game and fishery resources, including negative effects caused by creating access to previously inaccessible areas?

6. Socio-economic

Will the project:

  1. have negative effects on neighbourhood or community character?
  2. have negative effects on local businesses, institutions or public facilities?
  3. have negative effects on recreation, cottaging or tourism?
  4. have negative effects related to increases in the demands on community services and infrastructure?
  5. have negative effects on the economic base of a municipality or community?
  6. have negative effects on local employment and labour supply?
  7. have negative effects related to traffic?
  8. cause public concerns related to public health and safety?

7. Heritage and culture

Will the project:

  1. have negative effects on heritage buildings, structures or sites, archaeological resources, or cultural heritage landscapes?
  2. have negative effects on scenic or aesthetically pleasing landscapes or views?

8. Aboriginal

Will the project:

  1. cause negative effects on First Nations or other Aboriginal communities?

9. Other

Will the project:

  1. result in the creation of waste materials requiring disposal?
  2. cause any other negative environmental effects not covered by the criteria outlined above?