Green Ontario: Ontario's Official Environmental Strategies

Introduction | Formal Strategies | Factsheets | Eco-Tool Box |

Ontario's Formal
Environmental Strategies
This section outlines the formally-approved environmental strategies and plans of the Ontario government.

INDEX

Managing the Environment

Ontario's renewed commitment to the environment

Protect Nature

Ontario's Living Legacy
Niagara Escarpment Plan

Conserve Resources

no strategies have been identified

Prevent Pollution

Canada Ontario Agreement on the Great Lakes
Anti-Smog Action Plan (ASAP)
Waste Reduction Action Plan

Ministry Business Plans

Statements of Environmental Values
Business Plans and the Environment

Ontario's Strategies

Ontario has very few formal strategies or plans in place for the protection of the environment, conservation of natural resources, or to prevent the pollution of the natural environment.

This is not to say there are no plans, programs, or legislation in place; only that the government has not published many formal strategies that would indicate what the provincial goals and targets are, how we intend to reach them, how we will measure our progress, and how we will review and strengthen the strategy over time.

For details on what should be included in a formal strategy, see our factsheet on The Eco Tool Box.
For information on current multi-sector approaches for each of the major environmental issues and environmental strategies for economic and social sectors, see the list of issues covered in our Factsheets section.

"Managing the Environment"

"Managing the Environment" is a government-sponsored report on best practices for environmental management. It has been adopted by the government as its blueprint for addressing environmental issues.

In June, 2000, the provincial government hired Val Gibbons, a former deputy minister, write a report on best management practices for the environment (see June 16 2000 news release).

Her report, "Managing the Environment", was released February 8, 2001. It recommends that the government adopt a strategic approach to environmental management, with stronger interministerial cooperation and greater resources. It also advocates "shared responsibility" and the transfer of government responsibilities to arms-length agencies and industry self-regulation. See the Ministry web site for details and a PDF copy of the report and background papers.

For comments on the report, see:

"Protecting the Environment", the Conservation Council of Ontario's review of "Managing the Environment. A media release, executive summary and 50 page report are available online.
a joint response from the Canadian Environmental Law Association and the Pembina Institute. It should be available on the CELA website.

Protect Nature

Ontario's Living Legacy
(Web Site)
(full text of the Living Legacy Land Use Strategy)

Ontario's Living Legacy is a strategy for ensuring the long-term health of Ontario's natural resources. It was announced on March 29, 1999, following over a year of consultation through citizen round tables in each of three planning regions (Boreal West, Boreal East and Great Lakes - St. Lawrence).

In terms of the area of land covered under the strategy:

the Land Use Strategy affects over 45 per cent of Ontario.
a total of 378 new parks and protected areas will be established across the planning area from Peterborough to the 51st parallel. (see the Implementation section of the Living Legacy website for details).
the protected areas system will be enlarged by 2.4 million hectares, bringing Ontario's total protected lands to more than 9.5 million hectares, an area that would cover all of southern Ontario south of Algonquin Park, or nearly three-quarters the size of England.
nine featured areas have been identified and will become important tools for increasing world interest in visiting Ontario.

Other commitments under the strategy are:

The Ontario Forest Accord, a partnership that recommends new protected areas and measures to strengthen the economy of northern and central Ontario
The Living Legacy Trust, a five year, $30 million fund that supports improved future opportunities for the forest industry, and improved fish and wildlife access and management.

The strategy is not without its contentious elements. For example, under the permitted uses in new protected areas:

controlled mineral exploration is permitted in areas with provincially-significant mineral
potential.
if a site is to be developed for a mine, it would be deregulated, and a replacement area added to the park.
sport hunting will be allowed in new all new parks and additions except Nature Reserve parks and zones. Hunting will be permitted in additions to wilderness parks.

Comments on the Living Legacy strategy can be found at:

the Partnership for Public Lands (WWF, FON and Wildlands League)
the Federation of Ontario Naturalists (building a database of new protected area sites)
the Canadian Environmental Law Association

STATUS

The strategy is being implemented. Check the Ministry and ENGO web sites for details.

Niagara Escarpment Plan
(Web Site)
The Niagara Escarpment is a unique land formation extending 725 kilometres from Queenston on the Niagara River to the islands off Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula. It has been recognized as a Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Man and Biosphere (MAB) program.

The Niagara Escarpment Plan was approved in June 1985 and is Canada’s first large scale
environmental land use plan. The Plan's purpose is to provide for the maintenance of the Niagara Escarpment and land in its vicinity substantially as a continuous natural environment, and to ensure only such development occurs as is compatible with that natural environment.

The Plan sets out zoning polices, development criteria, and a protected areas system. The zoning policies include seven land-use designations (Natural, Protection, Rural, Urban, Minor Urban, Recreation and Mineral Extraction). The Niagara Escarpment Parks System includes the Bruce National Park, Fathom Five National Marine Park and the Royal Botanical Gardens.

Under the Plan, all development proposals must be approved by the Niagara Escarpment Commission, a 17 member body appointed by the provincial government.

Comments on the Plan can be found by searching the web sites, or contacting:

The Bruce Trail Association
The Coalition on the Niagara Escarpment
The Canadian Environmental Law Association

STATUS

The Plan has been in effect since 1985. Legislation requires that the Ministry of Natural Resources and the NEC review the Plan every five years.

Conserve Resources

No formal strategies have been published with respect to the conservation of natural resources, including foodland, fish and game, timber, minerals and aggregates, and energy. For details on the current programs and activities in these areas, check our index of factsheets.

Prevent Pollution

Canada-Ontario Agreement Respecting the Great Lakes
(web site)
Canada and Ontario signed a formal agreement regarding the management of pollution in the Great Lakes region, including goals and targets for the virtual elimination of priority substances. The agreement is called The Canada-Ontario Agreement Respecting the Great Lakes.

COA sets out three goals:

1. Restore Degraded Areas
2. Prevent and Control Pollution
3. Conserve and Protect Human and Ecosystem Health

For details of the Canada Ontario agreement and reports, see our factsheet on COA.
For more information on strategies and programs for toxic and hazardous materials, see our factsheet series on toxics.
For comments on COA, see the Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy (CIELAP).

STATUS

The COA agreement lapsed at the end of March 2000 and has not been renewed.

Anti-Smog Action Plan (ASAP)
(web site)
The Ministry of the Environment announced the Smog Action Plan in January of 1998. The name of the plan was subsequently changed to the "Anti-Smog Action Plan" (ASAP). The original Smog Action Plan can be found on the Ministry's publications list.

The goal of the Smog Plan is to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by 45 per cent from 1990 levels by the year 2015. The Ministry of the Environment has also set an Air Quality Target for Smog: to achieve, by 2015, a 75 per cent reduction in the number of times the 80ppb one hour ozone criterion is exceeded.

The plan relies on voluntary commitments from the automotive sector and large industrial energy consumers, as well as on a public commitment to reducing emissions from cars, barbeques and two-stroke engines. Related to the Plan, the Ministry has introduced the Drive Clean Program as one of its major commitments to smog reduction.

Comments on the Smog Action Plan can be found at Pollution Probe and the Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy (CIELAP). See also reviews of the Smog Plan in the Environmental Commissioner's report for 1997 and 1998.

STATUS

The original plan was approved in January 1998. No progress reports are available on the Ministry website, although the Ministry does publish an annual Air Quality Report.

Waste Reduction Action Plan
Ontario endorsed a waste reduction strategy in 1991 policy of diverting wastes through the 3Rs, rather than disposing of it. This plan set out a goal of diverting at least 25 percent of the province's municipal waste from landfills by 1992 and 50 per cent by the year 2000 (based on 1987 levels).

Four strategies within the plan were: 1) introduce strong regulatory measures to reduce the flow of valuable resources, 2) financial and technical systems for materials, 3) create a healthy market for recovered materials, and 4) establish an educational programs on waste reduction.

STATUS

The strategy has not been withdrawn or replaced, however it is no longer mentioned in Ministry publications, nor is it publicly available on the Ministry website. There is still a reference to "continuous improvement towards 50% diversion" in the 1999-2000 Ministry business plan (but with no mention of the year 2000 target date).

Ministry Business Plans

There are two other sources for government commitments relating to the environment:

Statements of Environmental Values
Ministry Business Plans and the Environment

Under the Environmental Bill of Rights, each of the thirteen prescribed ministries is required to prepare a statement of environmental values, and to consider the statement in all major policy decisions. These statements can be found at the Ministry of the Environment's Environmental Registry website.

All government ministries are required to develop and publish an annual business plan that will indicate goals, targets, and specific commitments for the ministry. These plans are available on the Management Board's website:
2001 -- 2002
2000 -- 2001
1999 -- 2000
1998 -- 1999
1997 -- 1998

For comments on the Business Plans and Statements of Environmental Values, see the Conservation Council review of Business Plans, and comments in the Annual reports of the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario for 1995 through 1998.

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