In our January 13, 2026, blog, we discussed the recent agreement between Ontario and the Federal Government. This agreement is intended to streamline the environmental permitting process. Some groups were critical of the agreement, and now a report from the Auditor General of Ontario provides additional criticism of Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s environmental policies.
Auditor General’s Criticism of Environmental Policies
The Auditor General watches over the administration of Ontario’s finances to help the Legislature hold the government accountable. The Environmental Bill of Rights (1993) is among the government programs that are audited.
In December 2025, the “Operation of the Environmental Bill of Rights, 1993 (EBR)” was released. A news release from the Auditor General of Ontario provides the following summary of the EBR Report.
Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA): “RPRA could do more to ensure that Ontario’s recycling framework is working as intended, including to reduce its backlog of cases of potentially unregistered producers, escalate enforcement against non-compliant producers, and require the auditing of producers’ data for its programs.”
Operation of the Environmental Bill of Rights, 1993 (EBR): “When ministries follow requirements, the EBR can lead to transparent, accountable and informed decision-making. However, the Province continues to disregard Ontarians’ public participation rights by exempting major projects with potential environmentally significant impacts from, and passing laws without, full public consultation under the EBR.”
Ontario’s Auditor General, Shelley Spence, found that the Ford government failed to disclose Greenbelt and environmental risks when it exempted Highway 413 from public consultations. Other criticisms include
- Ontarians were not consulted about an amendment to the Building Code Act, 1992.
- The Province exempted two major infrastructure projects from EBR consultation.
- The Environment Minister continues to not meet its legislative duty to educate the public about the EBR.
- Ministries posted some environmental registry notices that lacked information to help Ontarians fully understand proposals and decisions.
- The Environment and Natural Resources Ministries did not comply with the EBR application deadline.
Referencing the Auditor General’s report, an article in the National Observer was critical of Premier Doug Ford. The article states that the Ontario government is “gutting climate policies.”
Liberal MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament) John Fraser is quoted as saying, “We shouldn’t be surprised that the environment is not a priority for this government, that local voices aren’t a priority for this government, and that in fact, it’s trying to dismantle local structures that protect the environment.”
Despite the criticisms by the Ontario Auditor General, public comments can and do make a difference in environmental decisions (Image by Bayley Nargang from Pixabay).
However…Public Comments Still Affect Decisions
While there have been comments critical of Premier Doug Ford’s approach to environmental protection, the Auditor General’s conclusion has a different tone. “Despite our findings…the EBR continued in 2024/25 to enable the public to participate in the Province’s environmental decision-making. Ministries notified and consulted the public about hundreds of environmentally significant proposals, and the public submitted thousands of comments. In many cases, ministries made changes to their final decisions as a result of the public’s comments.
Achieving Balance
The passing of the Cutting Red Tape, Building Ontario Act, 2024, and subsequent legislation, has resulted in changes to regulations. These changes are intended to streamline environmental permitting so that projects are completed sooner while providing environmental protection. We cannot have an either-or approach; environmental protection and economic growth are both important for Ontario.
If you need assistance with an environmental assessment, permitting, etc., we can help. For more information or for assistance, contact Christopher Paré, P.Geo., at 519-948-7300, Ext. 114.
Alan Hahn drafted this blog. Alan has an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies and completed a graduate program in Environmental Management. He has worked in environmental management for more than 45 years. He has written hundreds of blogs and articles. His published work includes HazMat Magazine, BizX Magazine, Michigan Lawyers Weekly, GreenStone Partners, Manure Manager Magazine, and Progressive Dairy.
Christopher Paré, P.Geo, reviewed this blog. Chris is a senior geoscientist and manager of Dragun’s Windsor, Ontario, office. Chris has more than 30 years of experience on projects ranging from environmental site assessments (Phase One/Two ESA), excess soils, remedial investigations, soil and groundwater remediation, Permits to Take Water, Records of Site Conditions, vapour intrusion, and site decommissioning. Chris is a frequent speaker, author, and expert witness. See Chris’ bio.
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