Genesis and Garbage

Abstract

Waste management remains a controversial role due to the presence of different authorities and policies regulating the sector. The current presentation focuses on the issue of waste management with regard to the diminished role of the Municipal Official Plan under the Environmental Assessment Act. An anecdote at the beginning about the creation story shows the obstacles God faced as he was questioned by the different bodies responsible for waste management in Canada during the process. A short history of the County Official Plan is then presented, outlining its roles and responsibilities. The Municipal Official Plan, established through the Planning Act, is a land use planning document which must have regard to relevant social, economic and environmental matter, the most relevant part in waste management. The Municipal Official Plan’s effectiveness is significantly impacted by the closely related The Environmental Assessment Act, a legislation that affects the planning of waste management facilities in Ontario. The act determines site selection, design, operations, and after-use of waste disposal facilities. Regardless, while the Environmental Assessment Act has a more pronounced role in waste management, it is not effective in public participation on waste disposal as it is cumbersome and not well understood. Hence, the Planning Act is more efficient in dealing with the controversial issues surrounding the process as it facilitates public information programs on waste disposal to ensure that the public can participate in the examination of alternative sites, site selection, design and operations. Despite these observations, the role of the Municipal Official Plan is likely to be further limited as the present reviews by the Ministry of the Environment seem to be tightening the requirements of the Environmental Assessment Act.