Environmental assessment act      
Section 17.15      
notice of approval to proceed with the part II.3 project

RE: The Town of Blind River Municipal Waste Management Plan Environmental Assessment

Proponent: The Town of Blind River (Town)

EA File No.: 03-08-02        
EA Reference No.: 07018

Part II.3 of the Environmental Assessment Act (the Act) establishes the requirements, authority, and process for preparing, submitting, and deciding an application for approval to proceed with a Part II.3 Project under the Act. An application consists of a proposed terms of reference and environmental assessment. In respect of the Project, the Proposed Terms of Reference, Town of Blind River Municipal Waste Management Plan Environmental Assessment was approved by the minister on July 11, 2008. The Proponent submitted its Environmental Assessment on August 30, 2024, for a decision on the application.

A seven-week comment period followed the submission of the Environmental Assessment to the Ministry, during which time any person could submit comments about the Environmental Assessment and the Project.

The ministry review of the Environmental Assessment was completed on June 20, 2025, and notice was provided in accordance with the Act. The ministry review concluded that the Environmental Assessment was prepared in accordance with the approved terms of reference and the Act, and contained sufficient information to assess the potential environmental effects of the Project. There were no outstanding issues from the Environmental Assessment process. The public, government agencies and Indigenous communities had an opportunity to comment on the Environmental Assessment, the Project, and the ministry review during the five-week comment period.

The Proponent and Ministry provided identified Indigenous communities with opportunities for consultation with respect to the terms of reference, the Environmental Assessment and the Ministry Review.

All comments submitted during the statutory comment periods have been considered. No requests for a hearing by the Ontario Land Tribunal were submitted and I am not aware of any outstanding issues with respect to the application which suggest that a hearing should otherwise be required.

Having considered the purpose of the Environmental Assessment Act, the approved terms of reference, the Environmental Assessment, the ministry review of the Environmental Assessment and submissions received, I hereby give approval to proceed with the Project, subject to the conditions set out below.

Reasons

My reasons for my decision are:

  1. The Proponent has complied with the requirements of the Environmental Assessment Act.
  2. The Environmental Assessment has been prepared in accordance with the approved terms of reference.
  3. Taking into consideration the Proponent’s Environmental Assessment and the ministry review, the Proponent’s conclusion that, on balance, the advantages of this Project outweigh its disadvantages appears to be valid.
  4. The Proponent has demonstrated that the environmental effects of the Project can be appropriately avoided, managed, mitigated.
  5. Taken together, the Proponent’s Environmental Assessment, the ministry review and the conditions of approval, the approval of the Project would be consistent with the purpose of the Environmental Assessment Act.
  6. There are no outstanding concerns raised by government agencies, public or Indigenous communities that cannot be addressed through commitments in the Environmental Assessment, through the conditions set out below or through future approvals that will be required.

Conditions of approval

The approval is subject to the following conditions:

  1. Definitions
    For the purposes of these conditions:

    “Act”
    means the Environmental Assessment Act
    “Construction”
    means the physical construction activities, including site preparation works, but does not include the tendering of contracts.
    “Date of Approval”
    means the date on which the Order in Council pertaining to the approval of the Project was signed by the Lieutenant Governor-in-Council.
    “District Manager”
    means the Manager of the Ministry’s Sudbury District Office.
    “Director”
    means the Director of the Environmental Assessment Branch.
    “Environmental Assessment”
    means the document titled Town of Blind River Municipal Waste Management Plan Environmental Assessment Report.
    “Environmental Compliance Approval”
    means an approval issued under Part II.1 of the Environmental Protection Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. E.19, as amended.
    “Indigenous Communities”
    means the following communities which the Proponent consulted for the proposed Project: Mississauga First Nation, Serpent River First Nation, Thessalon First Nation, Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation, Whitefish River First Nation, Bar River Métis Community, and Métis Nation of Ontario.
    “Ministry”
    means the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.
    “Project”
    means the expansion of the existing waste disposal site as set out in the Environmental Assessment.
    “Proponent”
    means the Town of Blind River (Town).
    “Site”
    means the landfill, located approximately 2 kilometres east of the Town of Blind River on the north side of Highway 17 in the District of Algoma, Ontario.
  2. General Requirements
    1. The Proponent shall implement the Project in accordance with the Environmental Assessment, which is hereby incorporated into this Notice of Approval by reference, except as provided in the conditions of this Notice of Approval and as provided in any other approval, permit or authorization that may be issued for this Site or Project.
    2. Should the Proponent wish to make changes to any document required by these conditions after the document has been accepted or approved by the Ministry, the Proponent shall obtain written approval for the proposed changes from the Ministry decision-maker in the condition requiring the document.
    3. For any document required by these conditions to be prepared, submitted and/or posted publicly by the Proponent, the Director may provide written notice to the Proponent that they no longer need to prepare, submit and/or post the document at the Director’s discretion.
    4. For any program or plan required by these conditions to be developed or implemented by the Proponent, the Director may provide written notice to the Proponent that the program or plan need no longer be developed or implemented in the Director’s sole discretion.
    5. The Director, in their sole discretion, may change a deadline provided for in a condition in this Notice of Approval where the Director determines it is appropriate to do so and it is consistent with the purpose of the Act. The Director must provide notice to the Proponent in writing of any such changes.
    6. The conditions of the Notice of Approval do not prevent more restrictive conditions being imposed under other statutes.
  3. Public Record and Submission of Documents
    1. Where a document is required for the public record, the Proponent shall post the document on the Proponent’s website and shall provide one electronic copy of the document to the Director.
    2. The Environmental Assessment Reference Number 07018 and File Number 03‑08-02 shall be quoted on all documents in any form submitted to the Ministry pursuant to this Notice of Approval.
    3. For every document submitted to the Ministry in every form, the Proponent shall clearly identify which condition of approval the document is meant to fulfill.
  4. Compliance Monitoring Program
    1. The Proponent shall prepare and submit to the Director for approval and for the public record a compliance monitoring program.
    2. The compliance monitoring program shall be submitted to the Director up to four months from the Date of Approval or such other date agreed upon by the Director in writing. The compliance monitoring program shall be submitted to the Director at minimum 60 days prior to the start of construction.
    3. The compliance monitoring program shall include a description of how the Proponent will:
      1. ensure the Project is implemented in accordance with the Environmental Assessment, including with respect to mitigation measures, public consultation, and additional studies and work to be carried out;
      2. monitor compliance with the conditions in this Notice of Approval; and,
      3. ensure the Project is implemented in accordance with all commitments made in the Environmental Assessment, including mitigation measures, public consultation, and additional studies and work to be carried out.
    4. The compliance monitoring program shall include an implementation schedule for planned monitoring activities.
    5. The Director may require the Proponent to amend the compliance monitoring program at any time and shall provide notice of the required amendment and deadline for completion in writing to the Proponent.
    6. The Proponent shall submit the amended compliance monitoring program to the Director by the deadline specified in the written notice.
    7. The Proponent shall implement the compliance monitoring program, including any amendments to it.
  5. Compliance Reporting
    1. The Proponent shall prepare an annual compliance report outlining the results of the compliance monitoring program (Condition 4) and the report shall be included as part of the public record.
    2. The first compliance report shall be submitted to the Director for review and for the public record no later than one year following the Date of Approval. Each subsequent annual compliance report shall be submitted to the Director for review and for the public record on the date that is the anniversary of the Date of Approval thereafter or such other date as agreed to by the Director. Each report shall cover the period since the last report.
    3. Compliance reports are no longer required to be submitted following the earlier of: (i) all conditions in this Notice of Approval are satisfied, or (ii) the Director gives notice pursuant to Condition 2.3.
    4. The Proponent shall notify the Director in writing when the final annual compliance report is being submitted. Upon receiving confirmation from the Director that all compliance reporting requirements have been fulfilled, the Proponent shall no longer be required to prepare or submit annual compliance reports.
    5. The Proponent shall retain, either in the Proponent’s office or in another location approved by the Director, copies of each annual compliance report for each reporting year and any associated documentation of compliance monitoring activities. The Proponent shall post the annual compliance reports for each reporting year on its website.
    6. The Proponent shall make the annual compliance reports and associated documentation available to the Director or designate in a timely manner when requested to do so by the Ministry.
  6. Complaint Protocol
    1. The Proponent shall, as part of the required Environmental Compliance Approval amendment application related to the Project, identify whether or not it is proposing any changes to the existing complaint protocol that is in place at the Site.
    2. The Director may require the Proponent to amend the complaint protocol at any time and shall provide notice of the required amendment and deadline for completion in writing to the Proponent. The Proponent shall submit an amended complaint protocol to the Director for approval by the deadline specified in the notice.
    3. The Proponent shall implement any amendments to the complaint protocol that are approved by the Director.
    4. The Proponent shall include a summary of the complaints received and how they were addressed in each of the annual compliance reports required to be submitted by Condition 5.
  7. Groundwater monitoring program
    1. The Proponent shall prepare and implement a groundwater quality monitoring program which includes the following parameters in addition to those listed under Column 1 of Schedule 5 of the Ontario Landfill Standards guideline: total cyanide, bromide, fluoride, organic nitrogen and hardness.
    2. The Proponent shall submit the groundwater quality monitoring program to the Ministry for approval when submitting the Project’s Environmental Compliance Approval application. A copy of the groundwater quality monitoring program shall be provided to the District Manager.
    3. Prior to submission of an application for the Environmental Compliance Approval amendment for the Project, the Proponent shall: install the five (5) proposed groundwater monitoring wells (as shown in the Environmental Assessment, Figure 10.2 Rev 2, CAZ – Proposed Expanded Area), complete one (1) year of spring and fall groundwater elevation and quality monitoring/sampling at all monitoring wells, and reassess the sizing of the contaminant attenuation zone (CAZ). Groundwater quality monitoring shall include the same parameters as set out in Condition 7.1.
    4. The Proponent shall include the results of the groundwater quality sampling in the Project’s Environmental Compliance Approval application. A copy of the results shall be provided to the District Manager.
  8. Changes/Amendments
    1. The Proponent shall implement any changes to the Project in accordance with the Act including the environmental screening process under Ontario Regulation 50/24: Part II.3 Projects Designations and Exemptions made under the Act as may be applicable.
  9. Duration of Approval
    1. If the Project has not been substantially commenced within 5 years of the Date of Approval or by the end of any extension to that period granted by the Director in writing, this approval expires.

Dated the 13th day of March 2026 at TORONTO.

[Original Signed by]
Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
777 Bay Street, 5th Floor         
Toronto, Ontario
M7A 2J3

Approved by O.C. No. ()        
Date O.C. Approved ()

Order in Council 469/2026