Working with the new Ontario government to promote its ‘open for business’ mandate

CIAC welcomes the new Ontario government and has provided recommendations consistent with the government’s expressed mandate to make Ontario again open for business. CIAC strongly asserts that it is imperative to eliminate or reform legislation, regulations and programs which add costs to government and business and provide little or no benefit to society, the economy or the environment. Among the areas CIAC is advocating for reform include:

Ontario Toxics Reduction Act:

  • Repeal the act. Reporting requirements duplicate existing federal and provincial programs. Toxic substances are assessed and managed aggressively through the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and the associated Chemicals Management Plan.

Local Air Quality Standards:

  • Base regulations on science and risk-based approach that are technically sound, consistent with, but not in advance of, other leading jurisdictions, and informed by rigorous cost-benefit analysis.

Municipal Industrial Strategy for Abatement regulation:

  • Repeal the act and transfer all relevant water discharge requirements into each facilities’ Environmental Certificate of Approval to enable greater adaptability and Ministry engagement.

Excess Soils Management policy:

  • Only soil that is assessed and confirmed to be unacceptable be classified as waste and grant an exclusion for industrial facilities with existing Environmental Compliance Approvals that already manage soils and wastes from the proposed regulation.

Measures to support investment in Ontario industries:

  • Advocate for and match federal measures to:
    • Make the existing, temporary ACCA permanent as is the case in US;
    • Expand its coverage significantly to match similar depreciation treatments in US; and
    • Introduce a 100 per cent year in write down for a minimum of one full business cycle of seven years as has been introduced in the US.
  • Investment Attraction:
    • With announced elimination of the Jobs and Prosperity Fund, replace the program with a targeted tax credit approach similar to other jurisdictions, including Alberta.

Buffer zones:

  • Enact regulation for buffer zones around existing industrial facilities to better support the Provincial Policy Statement which has an objective, but no mechanisms, to ensure local land use planning processes protect public health and maintain the viability of Ontario’s manufacturing heritage.

Control municipal overreach:

  • Prohibit Ontario municipalities from issuing local bans on products of commerce (e.g. straws, plastic bags etc.) and from enacting standards and regulations that impact aspects of companies and their operations which are already well-regulated under provincial authorities (e.g. Oakville Air Quality Bylaw and Toronto Sewer Use Bylaw).

Waste management:

  • Revise the Waste Free Ontario Act to include significantly increased opportunities for energy and material recovery and reuse from waste and automate existing paper-based waste manifests.

Workplace exposure limits:

  • Ensure exposure limits remain based in a sound science and risk-based approach that effectively protect worker safety and that are also informed by rigorous cost-benefit analysis.