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What is the EA?
The City of Ottawa submitted an Environmental Assessment (EA) on September 9, 2005 to the Ministry of the Environment (MoE) for formal review as required under the Environmental Assessment Act (EAA). The MoE’s Review evaluates the North-South Corridor Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project Environmental Assessment (EA) based on the commitments made in the approved Terms of Reference (ToR) document (see “Stage 1: Terms of Reference” available at ). The current status of the MoE’s Review can be found at http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/envision/env_reg/ea/english/EAs/ottawa_lrt.htm

The Environmental Assessment is flawed:

  • Brushes off any concerns made by citizens and groups like Transport 2000, with a ' MOE Satisfied', yet no explanation of why they are satisfied … statements are either not true or certainly debatable
  • Federal, Provincial and Municipal laws mandate re-use of Brown sites yet this wasn't even a weighted consideration in the assessment
  • Multi-million dollar project yet no opportunity for public input - suggestion to move the tracks further away, closer to the parkway itself, instead of cutting that green space in two - added benefit of being closer to Airport so less expensive to build the extension
  • O-Train did not put a fence on the Vincent Massey Park section so that animals could continue to pass, yet 6 foot fence is being planned here?
  • Because of high fences surrounding the tracks, residents will not have access to the 'recreational path' planned along the Airport
  • What is the impact on Lester with a train going by every 2 ½ minutes?
  • What is impact of having a 24 foot high overpass along some of the sections?
  • City claims all testing of bells, whistles and horns will be done inside the facility and so there will be no noise on residents… they will not be testing the horns inside, too loud. What about squealing wheels and brakes?
  • In an era of 'reduce, re-use and recycle' why would you want to pave paradise and put in a parking lot? (200 spaces!)
  • The fact that for a given level of expenditure, a larger diesel light rail system could be built than an electric system, means that more people would be attracted out if their cars, resulting in a greater overall, city wide, reduction in traffic congestion, fuel use, and pollution emissions. This was not evaluated.
  • Co-ordination between the east-west and north-south light rail lines has not been planned for.
  • How can EA be approved when site for the train yard has not been chosen yet? Even though the Ministry requires the City to prepare a Maintenance Yard Selection Report (p. 16 of the Review), the city says that the site will be chosen based on property negotiations and best value for the City (p. 12). If cost is the main criteria, then the Lester site is the obvious choice since it is uncontaminated and open to expansion. Environmental concerns will be ignored.
  • How can a natural area be destroyed, and the city respond that “there were no significant impacts associated with the alternatives and that the impact can be effectively mitigated” (p. 9 of Table 1).
  • Option 3 (the Leitrim site) is owned by Transport Canada and is not for sale—really there are only two options for the train yard
  • The Lester site was used as the 'sample' for tenders - the City clearly prefers it.
  • The Facility will not be operated by the city—it is a violation to tender for private operation.
  • The City said it would hold a general public meeting in early January and the meeting has been postponed (p. 4 of Table 1 of the Review). Why?
  • City Council instructed staff to investigate both diesel AND electrical alternatives. Staff came back with only electric choice.

 

 

 

 

 

The EA Process
Generally, the EA process is a two-stage application to the Minister of the Environment for approval of a proposed undertaking. The first stage requires the proponent to prepare and submit a ToR to the ministry for review and approval. Once approved by the Minister, the proponent can proceed to the second stage and prepare an EA document.

The EA must be completed in accordance with the ToR and with the EAA. Approval under the EAA is required prior to the proponent proceeding with a proposed undertaking or receiving any subsequent approvals. The Minister is required to take into consideration comments from government, affected stakeholders and the public prior to making a decision on the EA.

Terms of Reference
The first step in the EA process is for the proponent to prepare and receive approval for a ToR. The ToR is the work plan for how the EA will be prepared. On September 15, 2004 the Minister approved the City’s ToR, which identified how the City was to, among other things, assess alternatives and their environmental effects and consult with the public during the development of the EA. The City of Ottawa’s ToR document may be viewed at “Stage 1: Terms of Reference”, available at .

Environmental Assessment
On September 9, 2005, the City submitted its EA to the MoE for review and approval. The public and government review period of the EA ended on October 28, 2005. During this review period, the EA was reviewed by a Government Review Team (GRT), which included federal, provincial and municipal agencies. The role of the GRT is to ensure that the data and the conclusions in the EA are valid, based on their agencies’ mandates. The public and First Nations also had the opportunity to review the EA concurrently and submit comments to the Ministry.

The Review
The MOE is required by the EAA to complete a Ministry Review of the EA. The purpose of this Review is to determine whether or not the EA was prepared in accordance with the commitments outlined in the ToR and whether or not the EA contains sufficient information about the anticipated environmental effects to allow for a decision to be made by the Minister of the EA.
The Review assists the Minister in making a decision regarding the EA and the proposed undertaking.

A Notice of Completion of Review, dated December 30, 2005 was recently made public by the MoE. The Review is currently available for a five-week public comment period. During this period, members of the public and the GRT can make comments on the MoE’s conclusions, and can request that the Minister refer the EA to the Environmental Review Tribunal for a hearing if they believe that their concerns have not been addressed. The Minister’s decision will be made following the public review period, on February 6, 2006. The decision will be made by the Minister, Laurel Broten, and is subject to the approval of the Lieutenant Governor in Council.

Next Steps
A five week public inspection period is currently underway. During this time, all interested parties can make submissions about the proposed undertaking, the EA and/or the Review. A Public Notice was published in the Ottawa Citizen and le Droit indicating that the Review was completed and available for viewing from December 31, 2005 to February 6, 2006. Copies of the Review have been placed in the same locations where the EA was made available. Neither are available on the Internet. Blossom Park Public Library is our closest location.

At the end of the five week review period, MOE staff will make a recommendation to the Minister concerning whether the City’s EA meets the requirements of the ToR and the EAA. The Review contributes to a number of documents that the Minister of the Environment (Laurel Broten) must consider when making a decision about the proposed North-South Corridor LRT Project EA. The Minister must also consider the purpose of the EAA, the public comments submitted during the review periods, and other matters the Minister may consider relevant.

The Minister will make one of the following decisions:

  • Give approval to proceed with the undertaking;
  • Give approval to proceed with the undertaking subject to conditions;
  • Refuse to give approval to proceed with the undertaking;
  • Refer either a part of or the entire EA to mediation; or
  • Refer either a part of or the entire EA to the Environmental Review Tribunal for a decision.

For the status of the North-South LRT project currently with the Ministry of the Environment, please click on the following link: http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/envision/env_reg/ea/english/EAs/ottawa_lrt.htm