We took note of the…

We took note of the regulatory amendments to exempt proponents from obtaining environmental authorizations for low-risk activities, aiming to harmonize approval requirements with the actual risk level and reallocate resources to areas where increased oversight is beneficial. (ERO 025-1361). We therefore support the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP)'s efforts to reduce the regulatory burden on businesses.

More specifically, we support the proposed amendments to Ontario Regulation 524/98 to expand the existing exemption by removing certain criteria that need to be met to qualify for the exemption for standby power systems under Ontario Regulation 524/98. The proposed exemption criteria are aligned with Ontario Regulation 419/05 and constitute sufficient mitigation measures to minimize contaminant emissions from this equipment.

It should be noted that standby generators operate only in emergency situations, during a power outage, and during tests and maintenance to ensure proper functioning. Test and maintenance periods for emergency generators used in the telecommunications sector amount to approximately two hours per month. Such activities are indeed low-risk, and therefore we support the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP)'s proposal to exempt them from the obligation to obtain permissions, such as Environmental Compliance Approvals (ECAs), or registration on the Environmental Activity and Sector Registry (EASR).