Ministry Review for the Donald Cousens Parkway to Morningside Avenue Link Amended Environmental Assessment NEED MORE INFORMATION? Public Record Locations The public record for this amended environmental assessment can be reviewed during normal business hours at the following ministry office: Ministry of the Environment Environmental Approvals Branch 2 St.Clair Avenue West, Floor 12A Toronto, Ontario Voice: (416) 314-8001/1-800-461-6290 Fax: (416) 314-8452 The Review and Notice of Completion are also available at the following locations: Ministry of the Environment Ministry of the Environment Central Region Office Environmental Approvals Branch 5775 Yonge Street, 8th Floor 2 St. Clair Avenue West, Floor 12A North York, ON M2M 4J1 Toronto, Ontario M4V 1L5 (416) 326-6700 (416) 314-8001 Regional Municipality of York Town of Markham Office of the Regional Clerk Office of the Town Clerk 17250 Yonge Street, 4th Floor 101 Town Centre Boulevard Newmarket, ON L3Y 6Z1 Markham, ON L3R 9W3 1-877-464-9675 ext. 1320 (905) 475-4744 Woodside Square Library City of Toronto Scarborough Civic Centre Woodside Square Mall Clerk’s Department 1571 Sandhurst Circle 150 Borough Drive Toronto, ON M1V 1V2 Toronto, ON M1P 4N7 416-396-8979 416-396-7288 Markham Village Library 6031 Highway 7 Markham, ON L3P 3A7 905-513-7977 This Review is subject to the provisions of Ontario Regulation 616/98 which sets out a deadline for the completion of this document. The deadline for the completion of the Review was November 18, 2011. This paragraph and the giving of the Notice of Completion are the notices required by subsection 7(3) of the Environmental Assessment Act. The Review documents the ministry’s evaluation of the EA and takes the comments of the government agencies, the public and Aboriginal communities into consideration. Cette publication hautement spécialisée n’est disponible qu’en anglais en vertu du règlement 441/97, qui en exempte l’application de la Loi sur les services en français. Pour obtenir de l’aide en français, veuillez communiquer avec le ministère de l’Environnement au 1-800-461-6290. Ministry Review for the Donald Cousens Parkway to Morningside Avenue Link Amended Environmental Assessment Review prepared pursuant to subsection 7(1) of the Environmental Assessment Act, R.S.O. 1990 Province of Ontario by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Environmental Assessment and Approvals Branch PIBS 8594e © Queen’s Printer for Ontario, 2011 For more information: call 416-325-4000 or toll free 1-800-565-4923 [email protected] www.Ontario.ca/Environment Table of Contents Executive Summary.......................................................................................................... 1 1. Environmental Assessment Process .................................................................... 2 1.1 Terms of Reference..................................................................................... 2 1.2 Environmental Assessment......................................................................... 2 1.3 Ministry Review..........................................................................................3 2. The Proposed Undertaking .................................................................................. 8 3. Results of the Ministry Review .......................................................................... 12 3.1 Conformance with ToR and EAA.............................................................12 3.1.1 Ministry Analysis.........................................................................12 3.1.2 Consultation.................................................................................12 3.1.3 Conclusion ...................................................................................17 3.2 EA Process................................................................................................17 3.2.1 Key Issues....................................................................................20 3.2.2 Conclusion ...................................................................................23 3.3 Proposed Undertaking...............................................................................23 3.3.1 Key Issues....................................................................................25 3.3.2 Conclusion ...................................................................................27 4. Summary of the Ministry Review...................................................................... 27 5. What Happens Now? .......................................................................................... 27 5.1 Additional Approvals Required................................................................30 5.2 Modifying or Amending the Proposed Undertaking ................................30 List of Appendices Appendix A Environmental Assessment Act Requirements Appendix B Submissions Received During the Initial Comment Period Appendix C Supplemental Information List of Tables Table 1 Government Review Team Comment Summary Table Table 2 Public Comment Summary Table Table 3 Aboriginal Communities Comment Summary Table Transportation Improvements Donald Cousens Parkway to Morningside Avenue Link Amended Environmental Assessment Review Executive Summary WHO The Regional Municipality of York WHAT Ministry Review of an Amended Environmental Assessment (EA) for the proposed undertaking which includes: A four-lane urban arterial roadway extension of Morningside Avenue from McNicoll Avenue north to Steeles Avenue; a widening of Steeles Avenue to a six-lane urban roadway from east of Tapscott Road to east of Ninth Line; a widening of Ninth Line to a four-lane urban roadway from Steeles Avenue to the south limit of the Box Grove Development Area; and, new ramps at the Donald Cousens Parkway and Highway 407 Interchange to provide access onto Highway 407 from the south. The undertaking also includes a new crossing of the Neilson Tributary and replacement of the existing Steeles Avenue crossings of the Rouge River and Morningside Tributary. WHEN Amended EA Submitted: July 19, 2011. Ministry Review comment period: December 2, 2011 to January 13, 2012 WHERE Southeast Markham and Northeast Toronto (Scarborough). WHY To address the capacity deficiencies between southeast portion of the Town of Markham and northeast portion of the City of Toronto CONCLUSIONS The proposed transportation improvements will benefit the communities the Town of Markham and the developed areas and the proposed to be developed areas of the north-eastern are of the City of Toronto. The proposed mitigation methods and contingencies will ensure that any potential negative impacts will be minimized and managed. Based on the government Review of the EA, the ministry has concluded that the EA has been carried out in accordance with section 6(2) (c) of the Environmental Assessment Act. However, the ministry has also concluded that there is an outstanding issue of jurisdiction and York’s ability to implement the undertaking as contemplated in the amended EA. November 18, 2011 1 Transportation Improvements Donald Cousens Parkway to Morningside Avenue Link Amended Environmental Assessment Review 1. Environmental Assessment Process Environmental Assessment (EA) is a proponent driven planning process designed to incorporate the consideration of the environment into decision making. This is done by assessing the effects of an undertaking on the environment. In Ontario, the Environmental Assessment Act (EAA) sets out the general EA Process contents for the preparation of an EA, as well as the ministry’s ToR Approval evaluation process. For those proponents and undertakings subject the EAA, approval under the Act is required before ↓ the undertaking can proceed. EA Preparation ↓ Proponents address a wide range of potential effects on the EA Submission natural, social, cultural and economic environments to ensure ↓ the protection, conservation and wise management of the EA Comment Period environment. An EA determines, on the basis of the environmental effects, if an undertaking should proceed, and ↓ if so, how environmental effects can be managed. Ministry Review ↓ EAs may identify a problem or opportunity; consider Review Comment Period alternative ways of addressing a problem or opportunity; ↓ evaluate the environmental effects of the alternatives; and, Minister’s Decision select a preferred undertaking from the alternatives. The proponent must consider actions to avoid, reduce and mitigate potential environmental effects. In preparing the EA, the proponent completes various studies and consults with interested stakeholders including government agencies, the public and affected Aboriginal communities to evaluate the alternatives and determine the preferred undertaking. Once the undertaking is approved, the proponent is required to monitor to demonstrate compliance with standards, regulations and the EAA approval. 1.1 Terms of Reference Preparing an EA is a two step application to the Minister of the Environment (Minister). The first step requires the proponent to prepare and submit a Terms of Reference (ToR) to the Ministry of the Environment (ministry) for review and approval. The ToR is the work plan or framework for how the EA will be prepared. On July 13, 2004, the Minister approved the Markham Bypass Extension from Highway 407 to Morningside Avenue ToR. The ToR set out how the Regional Municipality of York (York) would evaluate environmental effects, assess alternatives and consult with the public during the preparation of the EA.