Ontario- Ontario is getting it done for people across the province by delivering policies that will grow the province’s economy and make it easier to build the infrastructure we need to support growing communities while helping families keep more of their hard-earned money in their pockets, right where it belongs.
As Ontario’s population continues to grow, the province is taking action to ensure it has the transit and housing infrastructure needed to support future generations. The Get It Done Act, if passed, will allow Ontario to reduce red tape and streamline approval processes for key infrastructure investments to help get shovels in the ground sooner and save taxpayer dollars.
Ministry of Transportation (MTO)
Banning new tolls on provincial highways: Ontario is proposing amendments to the Public Transportation and Highway Improvement Act to prohibit Ontario from introducing new tolls on provincial highways and require public consultation before considering new tolls. In April 2022, the government removed tolls on Highways 412 and 418, which is expected to save drivers $68 million between 2022-27.
Legislating the freeze on driver’s licences and Ontario Photo Card fees: Ontario is proposing to legislate the current freeze on driver’s licence and Ontario Photo Card fees, which has saved applicants $22 million since 2019. If passed, any future increases for driver’s licence renewals or Ontario Photo Cards would require a legislative amendment. The continued freeze on fee increases, which was scheduled to rise roughly two per cent a year, will help save Ontarians an additional $66 million this decade.
Designating the Hazel McCallion Line extensions as priority transit projects: Ontario will use measures introduced in the Building Transit Faster Act, 2020, to declare the Hazel McCallion Line extensions to downtown Mississauga via the Confederation Parkway loop and downtown Brampton as priority transit projects. The Hazel McCallion Line extensions will join the Ontario Line, the Yonge North Subway Extension, the Scarborough Subway Extension, the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension and the Hamilton LRT as priority transit projects in the province.
Introducing automated licence plate renewals: In 2022, the government eliminated licence plate renewal fees for passenger vehicles, light-duty trucks, motorcycles and mopeds, saving vehicle owners $120 a year in southern Ontario and $60 a year in Northern Ontario. The government is proposing changes to the Highway Traffic Act that will allow for the transition to automated renewal of licence plates.
Ministry of Finance (MOF)
Giving voters a veto over future carbon taxes: To protect taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars, the government is introducing legislation that would protect the people of Ontario from the risk of new provincial carbon pricing programs by requiring the government to first ask Ontarians via a referendum before implementing a new provincial carbon pricing program. As the province takes this step to keep costs down and protect Ontario taxpayers, the Ontario government continues to call on the federal government to reduce the cost of the federal carbon tax.
Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP)
Helping get critical infrastructure built faster: To help get critical infrastructure such as highways, railways and transmission lines built faster, Ontario is streamlining and simplifying the complex 50-year-old environmental assessment (EA) process to make it easier and faster to build the infrastructure needed to support the province’s growing population.
After several months of consultations, one of the changes to the EA process is moving to a project list approach, which will list the types of infrastructure projects that still require the highest level of environmental assessment such as large landfills and electricity generation facilities. The project list approach is a shift from the previous focus on project proponents to what the project is and its potential for environmental effects. Using a project list approach will bring Ontario in line with other similar jurisdictions, including the federal government, Quebec and British Columbia.
These changes will help get highways, rail and electricity transmission lines built up to four years sooner by allowing them to follow a streamlined EA process that will save time and money while maintaining environmental safeguards. The projects that are being moved to streamlined processes continue to have requirements to identify and mitigate environmental impacts and for consultation, including Indigenous consultation, prior to implementation.
Streamlining environmental assessments to support municipalities:
To help get more homes built and support municipal priorities, the Ontario government is beginning consultations, including with municipal partners on a new streamlined process for certain municipal water, shoreline and sewage system projects. This new process would help accelerate project planning by limiting the process to six months from 18 months or more. These time changes could be achieved by providing a regulated timeline, whereas under the current process there is no time limit.
An example of a municipal project that would be able to go through this proposed process is building a new large wastewater treatment plant. To build this, the municipal class EA process can take up to two years or more. The proposed process could see the EA process completed in as little as six months. There will continue to be environmental oversight of projects that follow a streamlined process, including requirements for mandatory Indigenous and public consultation, prior to implementation.
Clarifying the Environmental Assessment Act: To help municipalities, provincial ministries and other provincial government agencies when planning for infrastructure development, Ontario is proposing a minor change to the Environmental Assessment Act that would make it clearer that expropriation is one of the ways property can be acquired for a project before the EA process is completed. Acquiring property for a project is already allowed under the Act before a proponent is authorized to proceed with the project. This clarity will provide greater certainty to municipalities and other proponents as they plan for future projects and get shovels in the ground sooner. Project proponents will continue to have to comply with other applicable legislation for expropriating land, such as the Expropriations Act.
Ministry of Mines (MINES)
Improving the process for mine permitting: Ontario is exploring opportunities to improve the permitting process for mine development and operation, as part of its efforts to ensure the province’s mining sector remains competitive and attractive to investors. Efforts will focus on reviewing current government permitting processes. Any proposed future changes from this review would be subject to consultation, including when it arises, Ontario’s obligations to consult with Indigenous communities.
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH)
Supporting municipalities to build more homes: Ontario will propose changes to the legislatively approved official plans of some of the province’s fastest-growing municipalities to address local priorities while continuing to support the government’s goal of building at least 1.5 million new homes by 2031. The proposed changes follow recent consultations with the affected municipalities and, where appropriate, respond to feedback from the local municipalities. Changes would apply to the legislatively-approved plans for the cities of Barrie, Belleville, Guelph, Hamilton, Ottawa, Peterborough, Wellington County and the regions of Halton, Peel, Waterloo and York. Modifications maintained through Bill 150 impacting these municipalities and the Niagara Region would continue to apply.