Monitoring can be used to verify the expected environmental effects of an undertaking and to determine if additional impact management measures are required (effects monitoring). Monitoring is also used to ensure the proponent’s fulfilment of the commitments in the Environmental Assessment (EA) and the conditions of approval including public consultation commitments and other work required to be carried out as part of the approval of an undertaking (compliance monitoring).

An EA document will provide a plan/program that sets out how and when all the commitments and conditions in an EA will be fulfilled and how the proponent will report to the Ministry on compliance. The plan/program will include providing annual compliance monitoring reports to the Ministry as the major method of demonstrating compliance.

Where warranted, proponents may be requested by the Ministry to provide effects monitoring including continuous emission monitoring, routine ambient air quality monitoring, stack sampling, terrestrial and/or aquatic monitoring, pre-construction and post construction monitoring, etc. The Ministry and other agencies may also determine the need to monitor the effectiveness of proposed mitigation measures. Monitoring reports may also be required by the Ministry and other agencies related to effects monitoring.