Class Environmental Assessment for government property (formerly public work)

Project summary

This class environmental assessment establishes a planning process for projects on government property.

Learn more on the Infrastructure Ontario website.

Proponent

Ministry of Infrastructure

Location

Ontario

Type

Other

Reference number

00017

Contact

Dorothy Moszynski, Environmental Assessment Branch

• Tel: 416-314-8001
• Toll-free: 1-800-461-6290
• Email: dorothy.moszynski@ontario.ca

Project history

Class environmental assessment—amendment (2024): approved
Expiry of public comment period: May 9, 2023
Amendment date: February 22, 2024

Class environmental assessment—major amendment (2023): approved
Date submitted: May 5, 2020
Expiry of public comment period: August 22, 2020
Decision date: December 15, 2023

Class environmental assessment—administrative amendment (2020)
Amendment date: July 8, 2020

Class environmental assessment—amendment (2012): approved
Decision date: October 31, 2012

Class environmental assessment—amendment (2008): approved
Expiry of public comment period: July 13, 2008
Decision date: September 11, 2008

Class environmental assessment (2004): approved
Date submitted: November 29, 2002
Expiry of public comment period for ministry review: December 19, 2003
Decision date: April 28, 2004

Terms of reference: approved
Date submitted: March 31, 2000
Expiry of public comment period: May 27, 2000
Decision date: February 12, 2002

Class environmental assessment—amendment (2024)

Ontario is modernizing its environmental assessment program to better serve communities now and in the future.

As part of this work, we amended the Government Property Class Environmental Assessment to among other things, make it clear that the Class EA does not apply to projects subject to a comprehensive environmental assessment. 

This and other amendments align the Class EA with:

• Environmental Assessment Act amendments
• regulations for moving to a project list approach for projects that will require a comprehensive environmental assessment 

Class EAs continue to provide a framework for consultation, identification of potential impacts and mitigation measures.

Class environmental assessment—major amendment (2023)

To support the modernization initiative, the Ministry of Infrastructure proposed amendments to the Class EA for Public Work, now called Government Property Class EA.

The Government Property Class EA allows certain government property projects to proceed without having to get project-specific approval under the Environmental Assessment Act (EAA). The requirements in the Class EA must be met before a project can move forward.

The Government Property Class EA is one of 10 Class EAs that are approved for use in Ontario.

Approved amendments

The amendments were made in consideration of the feedback we received from Indigenous communities, stakeholders and other agencies. The amendments include:

• Changing the name from the “Class EA for Public Work” to the “Government Property Class EA”.
• Exempting a list of low-risk projects to allow for a better fit of assessment requirements to potential environmental risks, based on implementation experience. These include projects without physical works. For example:
  • transfer of administrative control within the Crown
  • administrative projects such as granting access to a property
  • clarification of exempt projects (responses to emergency situations, maintenance projects)
  • low risk projects such as restoration of a property related to unauthorized activities or use
  • physical work for a small structure not in or adjacent to water
  • ceasing or changing a government use of a property
• Changing the screening process to allow proponents to screen (exempt) projects subject to the Class EA process or to elevate a project from Category B to a Category C based on a series of screening questions.
• A new categorization process to replace the Category Listing Matrix in the existing Class EA.
• Updating to the Class EA to:
  • clarify the difference between project proponents and the applicant
  • align with current requirements, guidelines and policies, and legislation
  • create consistency with other Class EAs
  • simplify assessment of a project and clarify the process
  • provide clarity on duty to consult and Indigenous stakeholder consultation

The amended Class EA does not include any changes related to the “Moving to a project list approach” under the Environmental Assessment Act. At the time of our decision to amend the Class EA, our review of the input we received on that proposal is still underway.

Learn more about the amendments on the Environmental Registry.

Learn more about Ontario’s plan to modernize the environmental assessment program.

Class environmental assessment—administrative amendment (2020)

On July 8, 2020, the Director of the Environmental Assessment Branch made amendments to the Class EA to replace terms or phrases related to notices required by the Class EA.

The purpose of this administrative amendment was to create consistency between the Class EA documents. This amendment was made pursuant to section 15.4(5) of the Environmental Assessment Act.

Learn more about this administrative amendment.

Class environmental assessment—amendment (2012)

On October 31, 2012, the Ministry of Infrastructure (MOI) received approval from MOE (now MECP) of administrative amendments to the Class Environmental Assessment Process for the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MEI) for Realty Activities Other Than Electricity Projects (MEI Class EA) to update the references to the ministry and Crown agents involved in the development of MOI public work. As a result the MEI class EA was called the Ministry of Infrastructure Public Work Class EA (Public Work Class EA).

Class environmental assessment—amendment (2008)

On April 18, 2008, the proponent submitted to the ministry for approval minor amendments to its class environmental assessment. The proponent also posted the proposal on the Environmental Registry of Ontario for a 30-day comment period from June 13, 2008 until July 13, 2008.

Minor amendments to the former Management Board Secretariat (MBS) and Ontario Realty Corporation (ORC) class EA were approved by the Director of the Environmental Assessment and Approvals Branch on September 11, 2008. The proponent of the class EA is now the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MEI).

The Class EA was originally approved in April 2004. Except as provided by the September 2008 amendments, the April 2004 approval is still valid.

The minor amendments to the Class EA fall under 5 general areas:

• change the proponency of the Class EA from MBS to the MEI to reflect the change in the successor ministry responsible for public work. This includes a new description of MEI and its agencies authorized to act on its behalf (i.e., ORC and Infrastructure Ontario). The new title is "Class Environmental Assessment Process for the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure for Realty Activities Other Than Electricity Projects"
• removed the requirement for documentation of Category A undertakings
• clarify the naming and/or definition of 16 undertakings of activities, and three (3) facility subgroups under the Class EA and rectify inconsistencies
• remove 11 non-physical, administrative and routine Category A undertakings from the MEI Class EA
• correct typographical error in Figure 2.2 Category Listing Matrix (Category A, instead of Category B, for easements on transmission corridor lands for secondary uses)

Class environmental assessment (2004)

The Environmental Assessment Act (EAA) provides for the preparation of class environmental assessments (class EAs) for approval by the Minister of the Environment. A class EA is an approved planning document that defines a group of projects and activities and sets out the EA processes which the proponent commits to following for each of these undertakings. Provided the approved process is followed, projects and activities included in the class EA do not require individual review and approval under the EAA.

The proponent

The Ontario Realty Corporation (ORC), as an agency of the Management Board Secretariat (MBS), is seeking approval under the EAA for the Class Environmental Assessment Process for Management Board Secretariat and Ontario Realty Corporation.

MBS, in support of Management Board of Cabinet, is responsible for the management of government resources, including people, money, information, technology and real estate. ORC is an agency of MBS reporting to the Chair of Management Board of Cabinet. ORC manages Ontario government real estate, accommodations, and construction projects. The proponent for this Class EA is MBS. ORC, as agent for the MBS, is responsible for proceeding with the undertakings to which the Class EA applies. ORC is the proponent of the undertakings which are subject to the Class EA and is therefore subject to the provisions of the Class EA and all conditions of approval for the Class EA. ORC has undertaken the work required to develop the new Class EA document and to submit it for approval.

The undertaking

Terms of reference for a new class environmental assessment process for Management Board Secretariat and Ontario Realty Corporation were approved on February 12, 2002. Since that time, ORC has prepared a new Class EA and has submitted it to the ministry for approval.

The undertaking identified is a Class EA to provide EAA approval for a class of realty activity projects. The class of undertakings included in the Class EA includes property acquisition, planning, design, leasing, letting, maintenance, repair, addition, construction, demolition, marketing and sale.

The purpose of the undertaking, as described in the Class EA, is to make sure that, in all its realty undertakings, MBS consistently takes into account the potential effects of its activities on the environment, including the natural, social, cultural, economic and built environments and their interactions.

The Class Environmental Assessment Process for Management Board Secretariat and Ontario Realty Corporation was formerly called the Class Environmental Assessment Process for MGS Realty Group Activities. The Class EA was first approved in December 1992 and it will expire on April 30, 2004, or the date that is six months after the date on which a new Class EA is approved, whichever occurs first.

Key changes to the Class EA are a reflection of: changes to the list of undertakings; an improvement to the clarity and efficiency of the environmental planning process; and provisions for record keeping, monitoring and reporting.