Contact Info:
Donna Bigelow
Environmental Assessment and Approvals Branch
Ministry of the Environment
2 St. Clair Avenue West, Floor 12A
Toronto ON  M4V 1L5
Telephone: (416) 314-7225
1-800-461-6290
Fax: (416) 314-8452

Link(s) to Project Documentation: 

• Proponent’s website
• Voluntary Agreement

Summary

Shell Canada Products (Shell) is proposing to construct a new oil refinery in the Township of St. Clair, which will process heavy crude oil from Alberta. The facility will be located one km east of the St. Clair River, approximately 20 km downstream of Shell’s existing refinery. This new facility’s operations will be integrated with Shell’s existing oil refinery. In addition to the refinery operations, the proposed project may include:

• a dock on the St. Clair River;
• new pipeline infrastructure;
• a co-generation electricity unit;
• a gasifier to convert petroleum coke into synthetic gas;
• storage of crude oil in brine caverns; and
• roadway/highway/railway improvements.

As a private sector undertaking, the proposed project was not subject to the requirements of the Environmental Assessment Act. However, on March 7, 2007, Shell entered into a voluntary agreement with the Ministry of the Environment to make the proposed project subject to the requirements of the Environmental Assessment Act. Shell will prepare an individual environmental assessment for review and approval by the Minister. The first step in the environmental assessment process is the preparation of a Terms of Reference for ministerial review and approval.

The Terms of Reference describes the proposed undertaking; identifies the potential alternative methods of implementing the undertaking; describes the environment potentially affected, outlines the assessment and evaluation methodology; describes the consultation planned for the EA; commits to a monitoring strategy; and discusses other potential approvals required. The potential effects and recommended mitigation measures will be described in detail in the EA.

Shell submitted its Terms of Reference to the ministry on April 30, 2007. The public comment period began on May 4, 2007 and ended on June 3, 2007.

The ToR was approved on June 27, 2007.

Under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Environmental Assessment Act, unless otherwise stated in the submission, any personal information such as name, address, telephone number and property location included in all submissions become part of the public record files for this matter and can be released, if requested, to any person.

Note: If approved by the Minister, the Terms of Reference will provide a framework for preparing the EA, and also serve as a benchmark for reviewing the EA. Following the Minister's approval of the Terms of Reference, the proponent is required to deal only with matters falling within the provisions of the approved Terms of Reference.