A New Environmental Bill of Rights for Ontario: Executive Summary

the Environmental Commissioner.6 The EBR also: • Established the Office of the Environmental Urgent Need to Reduce the Risk and Commissioner of Ontario to act as a “watchdog” to Impact of Climate Change oversee the operation and implementation of the EBR. [...] The Environmental Commissioner should be principle, the precautionary principle, the appointed as an independent officer of the environmental justice principle, and the principle of legislature and be accountable directly to the intergenerational equity. [...] The EBR should be amended to include a provision that provides that if there is conflict between the public participation rights under the EBR and another statute, the statute that provides the greatest level of public participation governs to the extent of the conflict. [...] to require that it only apply where a tribunal has considered: (i) the potential environmental impacts from the proposed instrument that is the subject of the exception; (ii) the mitigative measures to address the potential and actual environmental impacts; and (iii) the technical details of the equipment and technology that will be used to implement the mitigative measures. [...] The notice of decision should provide reasons, including that the minister has reviewed the prior proceedings, the scope and content of the opportunities for public participation in the prior proceedings, and that the exception meets the requirements in s.32(1)(a).