The City of Vaughan initiated a study
in accordance with the Municipal Class EA (2000) in January 2002
for obtaining EA Act approval for improvements to Pine Valley Drive
between Rutherford Road and Langstaff Road. In early 2004, prior
to completion of the Class EA, the Provincial Minister of the Environment
received a number of letters, including one from the Toronto &
Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), requesting that the study
be elevated from a Class EA to an Individual EA by an Order under
s.16 of the EA Act. The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) also
took the position that this project is not suitable for a Class
EA.
Following various discussions with the Ministry of the Environment
(MOE), the Regional Municipality of York (York Region), TRCA, MNR,
and other Part II Order requesters, City Council and York Region
Council agreed to jointly undertake an Individual EA that would
address the need for transportation improvements in the Pine Valley
Corridor extending north to Teston Road (the EA study area is shown
in its regional context in Figure
1).
On July 16, 2004, the Minister of the Environment issued an Order
requiring a joint City/York Region Individual EA. The first step
in conducting an Individual EA is to develop Terms of Reference
for the study and these must be approved by the Provincial Minister
of the Environment. Draft Terms of Reference were prepared in the
summer of 2004 and underwent agency and public review in the early
fall. Based on comments received, the Draft Terms of Reference have
now been revised and formally submitted to the Minister of the Environment
for approval. The revised Terms of Reference have been mounted on
this website for formal public review in accordance with the Provincial
EA Act. Public comments should be received by the Ministry of the
Environment (attention: Mr. Michael Harrison, Environmental Assessment
and Approval Branch, 12A, 2 St. Clair Avenue West, Toronto, Ontario,
M4V 1L5) by January 14, 2005.
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