Environment & Resource Development

• To see where current mineral titles and the availability of lands for mining claim acquisitions in Ontario are located click the link below to access the Mining Lands Administration System below Mining Lands Administration System – a provincial resource MLAS Map Viewer 

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Environmental assessments are tools used by federal and provincial governments to ensure proposed development projects minimally affect the environment surrounding them.

• Resources

• • Information on the environmental assessment process in Ontario. By following the link you will be prompted on How to Prepare an environmental assessment, get help planning, make a request, and how to access an environmental assessment project. – Environmental assessments | ontario.ca

Environmental monitoring becomes important when understanding how human activities are affecting the environment around us. By taking samples and surveys, we can identify how and which human behaviors are affecting things like air and water quality. Below is a list of environmental factors that are assessed through environmental monitoring:

•  Air
•  Soil
• Water
  • Ground & Surface
• Terrestrial Environment
  • Vegetation
    • Vegetation survey Plots
    • LiDAR survey plots
  • Wildlife & Wildlife Habitat
    • Population Surveys
    • Permanent Wildlife Survey Plots
    • Remote Cameras
    • Helicopter Surveys
    • Nest Sweeps
    • Acoustics Survey
• Aquatic Environments
  • Fish & Fish Habitat
  • Wetlands
• Waste
• Noise
• Human Environment
  • Socio-economic factors
• Cultural Heritage
  • Archaeology
• Built Environment – i.e. existing roads, buildings, powerlines, etc.)

Policy and legislation have become an important tool for decision making on the land. For Canada, environmental protection laws are established by both federal and provincial governments. Being aware of these policies becomes important as reserve lands are considered as federal lands and are thus subject to federal and provincial environmental law. See below relevant laws enforceable by each government

Federal Policies

• The Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012, which has been replaced by The Impact Assessment Act, 2019 – Impact Assessment Act
• The Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) – Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999
• The Fisheries Act, 1985 – Fisheries Act
• Species at Risk Act, 2002 – Species at Risk Act
• Migratory Birds Convention Act – Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994
• Plant Protection Act – Plant Protection Act

Provincial Policies

• The Environmental Assessment Act (EAA) – Environmental Assessment Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. E.18 | ontario.ca

• The Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR) 1993 – Environmental Bill of Rights | ontario.ca

• The Ontario Water Resources Act – Ontario Water Resources Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. O.40 | ontario.ca

• The Crown Forest Sustainability Act (CFSA) – Crown Forest Sustainability Act, 1994, S.O. 1994, c. 25 | ontario.ca

• Public Lands Act (PLA) – Public Lands Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.43 | ontario.ca

• Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act (PPCRA) – Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 12 | ontario.ca

• The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act – Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997, S.O. 1997, c. 41 | ontario.ca

• Endangered Species Act (ESA) – Endangered Species Act, 2007, S.O. 2007, c. 6 | ontario.ca

• Impact Benefit Agreements are legally binding agreements made between interested industrial proponents and the relative Indigenous nation. They aim to inform Indigenous nations about the potential adverse effects proposed development activities could have on the land and to ensure that these affected nations acquire benefits from the resources developed on the land.
  • Additional Resources 
    • The Role of Impact and Benefit agreements: YM32-5-2015-29-eng.pdf  
    • Impact Benefit Agreement Guidebook – A guidebook created by Simon Fraser University and the Canadian International Resources and Development Institute – IBA_Guidebook_2-24.pdf

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