Regulation - LGIC

Supporting Growth and Housing in York and Durham Regions Act, 2022

Regulation Number(s):
Bill 23
Instrument Type:
Regulation - LGIC
Bill or Act:
Supporting Growth and Housing in York and Durham Regions Act, 2022
Summary of Proposal:
Supporting Growth and Housing in York and Durham Regions Act, 2022
The proposed Supporting Growth and Housing in York and Durham Regions Act, 2022
(the proposed Act), would require York and Durham Regions to work together to do everything in their powers to enlarge and improve the existing York Durham Sewage System to convey sewage from communities in upper York Region (Aurora, Newmarket and East Gwillimbury) to the Duffin Creek Water Pollution Control Plant in Durham Region for treatment and discharge into Lake Ontario. Implementation of this proposal would accommodate growth and housing development in the upper part of York Region to 2051.

The proposed Act would also require prescribed municipalities to work together to do everything in their powers to implement the Lake Simcoe phosphorus reduction project once certain provisions of the proposed Act are proclaimed.
Prescribed municipalities would be required to develop, construct and operate a new treatment facility that will remove phosphorus from drainage water that flows from the Holland Marsh and ultimately into Lake Simcoe.

The proposed legislation would exempt both projects from the Environmental Assessment Act and end the existing environmental assessment process for the Upper York Sewage System Solutions Environmental Assessment application.

York, Durham and other proponent municipalities would instead be required to prepare environmental impact reports about the projects and consult with the public and potentially impacted Indigenous communities about the projects and those reports. Required consultation with Indigenous communities will commence once the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks provides the regions with a list of potentially impacted Indigenous communities.

The reports must contain details about the sewage works and any approvals required to implement the projects, the anticipated cost, the potential impacts to the environment of the projects and the mitigation of those impacts. The proposed Act requires thepreparation of the reports tocommence immediately following its enactment.

The reports must be provided to the Minister and made available to the public and the Indigenous communities to be consulted. The completed reports, must be provided to the Minister and made available to the public and the Indigenous communities to be consulted.

Analysis of Regulatory Impact:
The proposed Act will impact York and Durham Regions by requiring them to work together and do everything in their powers to expand and improve the existing York Durham Sewage System to convey sewage from communities in upper York Region (Aurora, Newmarket and East Gwillimbury) to the Duffin Creek Water Pollution Control Plant in Durham Region for treatment and discharge into Lake Ontario.

The proposed Act would also require prescribed municipalities to work together and do everything in their powers to implement the Lake Simcoe phosphorus reduction project once certain provisions are proclaimed.
Further Information:
Proposal Number:
22-MECP018
Posting Date:
October 25, 2022
Comments Due Date:
December 9, 2022
Proposal Status:
Updated