Learn how to consult with the Government of Ontario through the registry on matters that affect the environment.
You have the right to comment on certain things we’re proposing to do that might affect the environment. This can be things that affect the air, water and soil in Ontario.
You have this ability through the Environmental Bill of Rights.
We let you know about what we’re planning on doing through the Environmental Registry. We call this giving notice.
Notices on the registry
We give notice on the registry for changes to or new:
There are 17 government ministries that need to post their environmental acts, regulations, policies and instruments on the registry.
Note: for now, only notices for policies, acts and regulations will be on this site. Instrument, exception and information notices will still be posted on the old registry.
The stages that most notices go through on the registry include:
Most notices are in the proposal stage when we first post them on the registry.
It’s called a proposal because we’re proposing to change or make a new act, regulation, policy or instrument that could affect the environment.
Most of our proposals:
- say what we’re wanting to do
- give the details
- link to supporting material
- provide the option to comment
The comment period
You can comment on our proposals for a minimum of 30 days. We call this the comment period.
You can submit your comment within the comment period online through the Environmental Registry.
Each notice has information on how you can comment. It also has the contact details of a person you can speak to if you have any questions.
Your comment will become part of the public record when you submit it to us.
You must not include personal information, like a:
- telephone number
Your comment will still be part of the public record if it contains personal information. However, it won’t be posted on the registry for others to see.
We review all the comments we receive and consider them before making a decision.
It’s important to know that we consider the content of the comments as more important than the number of comments we receive.
We’ll also decide whether your comment can be posted for others to see. We will not post your comment if it:
- contains inappropriate or offensive content (language or links)
- is off topic
- contains personal information
Our decision will be noted in the comment status.
There is no time limit for the review stage.
We post our decision and the approved comments made on our proposal after we finish our review.
In our decision, we let you know:
- how your comments were taken into consideration
- the number of comments we received
- our decision on what we’re doing
Appeal a decision
You may be able to appeal our decision on certain instruments. We’ll let you know how when we post our decision.