Current status

Declaration order: expired, February 6, 2007

Project summary

Proponent

Ministry of Natural Resources

Location

Sault Ste. Marie region

Type

Forestry

Reference number

00013

Contact

Environmental Assessment and Permissions Branch

Project history

Declaration order: expired
Date submitted: June 15, 2001
Expiry of public comment period: September 26, 2001
Decision date: February 6, 2002
Date expired:  February 6, 2007

Declaration order

The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) proposed that the Minister of the Environment relieve the MNR of the requirement to prepare an environmental assessment (EA) for forest management activities in the Megisan Lake area. The requirement was originally imposed by the Minister of the Environment in response to a request from members of the public that the forest activities be subject to the Environmental Assessment Act (EAA). The MNR is of the opinion that new legislation, EAA requirements, land use designation, and manuals will serve to achieve the results that were intended by the preparation of the EA.

The Megisan Lake area is approximately 90 kilometres north-east of Sault Ste. Marie. The area subject to the requirement for an EA ("the area") consists of portions of ten townships within the Sault Ste. Marie and Chapleau MNR Administrative Districts, in the Northeast Region. The area is divided into two separate blocks totaling 53,804 ha. The western block is 12,830 ha in size and the eastern block is 40,974 ha in size. Road access is currently limited to a few forest access roads.

The Megisan Lake Area EA was to be conducted to determine if there was an acceptable manner of carrying out forest management in the Megisan Lake area, consistent with sound environmental practices and which provided for other uses of the forest, particularly tourism.

The MNR prepared a draft EA report for public review in early 1996. During the review of the draft EA, several parties stressed the need to resolve the fundamental issue of land use. In 1997, the MNR decided to complete the land use planning exercise under the Lands for Life program first, and then re-evaluate the draft EA in light of any related land use decisions.

Since the preparation of the draft EA, there has been numerous developments regarding land use, protection available for tourism, and silviculture, including:

  • the approval under the EAA of the Class EA for Timber Management
  • the proposed designation of 30,130 ha of the Megisan Lake area as Provincial Park under the Ontario Living Legacy (OLL) Land Use Strategy (the remaining 23,674 ha designated as General Use within which forest management activities are permitted)
  • the replacement of the Crown Timber Act with the Crown Forest Sustainability Act
  • new forest management and operations guidelines produced by the MNR that address tourism issues and concerns

The MNR believes that, collectively, the above-noted developments will serve to achieve the results that were intended by the preparation of the EA.

The proposal for the Declaration Order, was placed on the registry on August 27, 2001 and comments were accepted until September 26, 2001. No comments were received. The Minister, with the concurrence of Cabinet, approved Order in Council 578/2002 on February 6, 2002. Thus, forest management activities in the Megisan Lake Area are declared exempt from the requirements of the EAA.