2: Environmental Assessment process

About the Environmental Assessment

The Ontario Place redevelopment project is following the approved planning process for Category C undertakings in accordance with the Public Work Class Environmental Assessment (EA). It focuses on provincial government realty and infrastructure projects for registered public bodies.
The Category C EA Study Area is defined as the public realm area where government-led activities will occur and is subject to the Environmental Assessment Act.

The key OP redevelopment activities encompassed by the EA include:
- Planning approvals and realty activities
- Building decommissioning and removal
- Grading and landscaping
- Development of parks, trails and open spaces
- Shoreline repairs and flood mitigation
- Site access and parking
- Construction of new buildings and supporting site infrastructure.

A site map of Ontario Place showing the area subject to the Category C EA highlighted in yellow and a dotted line showing the entire redevelopment or project area — EA Study Area.
*Note: This map is an approximate depiction of the land areas.*

The Environmental Assessment Act governs public sector developments and provides requirements for the environmental assessment process. The Planning Act governs land use planning and provides requirements for these activities across the province.
Private sector developments are not subject to the Environmental Assessment Act, but they are required to follow the Planning Act and the municipal planning process. They are also required to secure zoning and site plan approval, as well as meet all the federal, provincial, and municipal environmental permits and approvals.

The Zones

To help navigate the site and facilitate thorough evaluation through the EA process, the Ontario Place public realm was divided into five zones.

Map of Ontario place showing the five zones. — The public realm zones.

Design development & the EA process

The Category C EA for Ontario Place is expected to run from early 2022 through to mid-2023. The process is integrated with the development of design and is comprised of five key stages, as shown below.

Design process and EA process chart showing the design process at the top with five stages left to right: public realm visioning; conceptual design options; evaluation process and recommended design; confirmation of preferred design; and project implementation. Below shows the EA process steps as they coincide with the design process stages.

Where are we in the process?

There are four public engagement events for site redevelopment and when complete, the draft Environmental Study Report will be available for a 60-day public comment period on the environmental registry of Ontario and available through www.engageontarioplace.ca.
In Fall 2022 the Ontario Place redevelopment team presented design concepts A and B for each zone and the draft evaluation criteria for public feedback and comment.
Since then, the EA team and the design team have been working together to evaluate the design concepts using the refined evaluation criteria and guided by public, stakeholder and Indigenous community input.
The EA evaluation has resulted in a recommended design for the public realm spaces at Ontario Place, which are being shared through this virtual public engagement room for feedback and comment.