Minister's Speech

Remarks prepared for:

The Honourable John Gerretsen
Minister of the Environment

Hot Properties:
Canadian Brownfields 2008
Toronto Congress Centre
Toronto, ON

(Check against delivery)

Thank you.

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Hot Properties!

It’s great to be here again.

I always appreciate the opportunity to take part in this conference … and I always come away impressed by what’s happening in the exciting field of brownfields development.

First I want state that we remain strong advocates for brownfields work.

We recognize the environmental and economic benefits of brownfields redevelopment in Ontario.

Brownfields are common in our communities because of the way industrial and commercial lands were historically used in our in our towns and cities.

These industrial and commercial operations were often THE economic and employment hubs in our cities and towns … but now some of these properties are unused, derelict or vacant.

The good news is these sites are prime locations for redevelopment. They have the infrastructure accessible around them and – today – we have the expertise to get them cleaned up for redevelopment.

We passed a series of legislative reforms last year as part of a multi-ministry project to make it easier to get brownfields redeveloped.

One of the key legislative changes was to limit liability for municipalities taking over brownfields. They are now protected from civil lawsuits relating to planning approval and building permit decisions that could arise from inaccuracies in filed cleanup documentation.

These changes were significant in facilitating redevelopment of the Greenwich-Mohawk area in Brantford, for example.

This 52-acre site had become contaminated over the years through industrial uses including the manufacture of chemicals and farm equipment.

Brantford’s economic future really depended on getting it cleaned up, but it was a very difficult property to deal with because it touched on so many of the issues we needed to resolve as a province.

We heard about the barriers, and brought in legislative reforms to help remove some of the roadblocks. And we were able to help Brantford with a $5-million grant for work related to the project.

We are moving forward with the final phase of these reforms with proposed new regulatory amendments that recently were posted on the Environmental Registry for a 120-day consultation period.

The first of these proposed amendments relates to enhanced records of site condition integrity.

It clarifies the environmental site assessment work that needs to be done to submit a record of site condition.

This will make for a more predictable and transparent process. People will have a clearer idea of what they need to do.

Second is a proposed new provision giving property owners greater off-site liability protection in cases where they did not cause the contamination on the site they purchased.

This exempts owners from provincial orders so long as contaminants do not migrate off-property at levels exceeding our requirements.

Third, our new amendments include a process for streamlined risk-assessments.

This will lead to faster and more convenient approvals for risk assessments and reviews of Records of Site Condition.

Finally, we are strengthening the soil, sediment and groundwater standards used in records of site condition.

This will bring our standards in line with the latest science … and make them more effective in protecting our health and environment.

The changes we are proposing would help encourage responsible brownfields redevelopment and sustainable growth in Ontario communities.

We’ve listened closely to a broad range of stakeholder groups and associations … and we want to hear what you think. You are the ones who will make brownfields redevelopment an everyday practice in the growth of Ontario communities.

One good suggestion we’ve heard would include high-density residential development in the streamlined risk assessment process. We’re looking at ways to make this work because it would provide more flexibility in the development of standards and form a better linkage with the growth plan.

We want your thoughts about our new regulations and standards. Tell us what you believe will work … and what needs to be changed.

Please comment on our proposed amendments through the Environmental Registry posting … or through the technical information sessions we’ll be holding until February 3, 2009.

You can provide comments online through the Environmental Registry … and you can get more information at our Pavilion, so drop by and we’ll be happy to provide you with information about our new proposed amendments.

We’re holding a 120-day consultation so that we take the time to get it right.

Together, I believe we will come up with a strong set of reforms that will make an important contribution to the way we grow our communities and economy.

Putting brownfields into productive use is one of the best ways to create the Ontario we envision – an Ontario where our communities thrive while leaving the lightest possible footprints on our ecosystems.

We still have a long way to go and we’re going to rely more than ever on you – the people with the expertise and experience to clean up brownfields and give them new life.

I wish you all a productive and enjoyable conference.

Thank you.

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