An Introduction to the Ministry

Environmental Protection

The people of Ontario deserve clean, safe, livable communities. The Ministry of the Environment (MOE) safeguards our environment by working to ensure cleaner air, water and land, and healthier ecosystems for the people of Ontario. The ministry has built a strong foundation of clear laws, stringent regulations, tough standards and rigorous permits and approvals.

The ministry monitors pollution and restoration trends in an effort to determine the effectiveness of its activities and to assess risks to human health and the environment. In turn, this information is used to develop and implement environmental legislation, regulations, standards, policies, guidelines and programs to enhance environmental protection.  The ministry’s inspection, investigation and enforcement activities are key components of achieving Ontario’s environmental goals.

Putting MOE Core Businesses into Context

Environmental issues touch everyone. Pollution is generated in all jurisdictions but its impacts can be local, regional or global, and can affect our ability to maintain a strong economy and sustainable growth.

Greenhouse gases have a global impact, regardless of where they are created, and add to a growing global problem. Reductions in a single jurisdiction may not provide direct or exclusive environmental benefits to that jurisdiction.

Acid rain and smog are regional air issues. Southern Ontario is the only region in Canada where over 50 per cent of the contributing pollutants are from the United States. Other regional issues are Great Lakes water quality and waste management.

Local environmental issues are many and diverse: stack emissions from local industries, well water quality, historically contaminated sites and pesticides are examples. Ontario’s historical industrial base has left a number of degraded environmental sites such as PCB contamination in Smithville, arsenic in Deloro and Wawa, and 16 areas of concern on the Great Lakes.

MOE’s day-to-day Responsibilities

MOE is at work every day in communities in every part of Ontario. To keep Ontario’s air and land clean, and its water safe, requires a significant commitment of day-to-day resources.

The ministry manages a comprehensive legislative and regulatory framework that keeps up with emerging science and develops leading-edge policy to incorporate the newest and best approaches to environmental management. Stakeholders are involved in policy and standards development. The ministry also sets standards for key pollutants to protect human health and the environment and monitors Ontario’s environment and analyze incoming data.

MOE issues certificates of approval for thousands of facilities, land uses, and industries across Ontario to ensure that potential risks to the environment, human health, safety, and property are minimized. The ministry ensures that environmental assessments are conducted in accordance with the Environmental Assessment Act to protect the environment from the unnecessary effects of significant public and designated private sector projects (e.g., roads, power plants). MOE also oversees the use of pesticides in Ontario through the development and application of regulatory tools including certification and licensing programs.

MOE operates a major state-of-the art laboratory to support clean-up and enforcement actions. The ministry conducts various inspections, both targeted (e.g. Environmental SWAT Team) and scheduled (e.g. municipal water treatment plants), and its Investigations and Enforcement Branch follows up on any violations of environmental law identified by field staff. These may result in prosecutions in the courts.

MOE must respond to environmental emergencies. The MOE’s 24-hour Spills Action Centre (SAC) and its Trace Atmospheric Gas Analyzers (TAGA) — mobile, high-tech labs for monitoring local air quality — provide after-hours field response when necessary.

MOE works with the regulated community to assist them in going beyond minimum requirements and engages in public education to promote environmental awareness. The ministry develops and maintains information systems and technology to monitor activity and identify new and emerging environmental issues, and develops scientific analysis methods for pollutants.

MOE licences laboratories, analyzes lab samples to support inspections and legal cases, and conducts environmental monitoring and reporting (e.g. Smog Alerts).

To succeed in these activities MOE must maintain effective relationships with partner ministries and secure the co-operation of its regulated stakeholders.

MOE is not the only agency with responsibility for environmental issues. The Ministry of Natural Resources (water quantity), the Ministry of Agriculture and Food (nutrient management), the Ministry of Municipal Affairs (land-use planning; brownfields; water and sewer infrastructure), the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (water testing, West Nile Virus), and the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines play a role in protecting the environment through their respective regulatory and enforcement mandates.

The Ministry of Energy (energy efficiency; new technologies) and the Ministry of Transportation (road design, transit, emission testing and vehicle licencing) also have key roles in issues that have significant impacts for MOE.

Environment Canada, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Natural Resources Canada and Health Canada play key roles in establishing national standards, conducting critical research, and addressing binational issues.

The Joint Ministers of Environment and Energy is a federal-provincial-territorial forum for developing programs and agreements on climate change at a national level.

The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) is the major intergovernmental forum in Canada for discussion and joint action on environmental issues of national and international concern. CCME membership is composed of ministers from the federal government and all provinces and territories. Members collectively establish nationally consistent environmental standards, strategies and objectives so as to achieve a high level of environmental quality across the country.

There is an increase in the municipal role in a variety of areas such as water and sewer services, pesticide application, and waste management as provincial and federal requirements have increased. Conservation Authorities are taking an important leading role in watershed planning, monitoring, and management.

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