The revitalization of Toronto's waterfront will involve numerous public and private projects. Regardless of the development scenario, the quantity and rate of development anticipated is unprecedented. Depending on the technical nature of these projects, provincial and federal environmental assessments and other environmental approvals will be required. If these projects undergo normal environmental assessment (EA) processes, the regulatory review periods alone could slow the revitalization process.

A process is being developed to ensure that the regulatory EA requirements for waterfront revitalization projects are met in a timely manner. To this end, the City of Toronto, in consultation with the federal and provincial governments, is developing a Cooperative Environmental Assessment process for all waterfront infrastructure undertakings.

The objectives of the Toronto Waterfront Cooperative Environmental Assessment are to:

• meet the requirements of applicable EA agencies; at a minimum, the process will comply with all requirements of the federal and provincial Environmental Assessment Acts
• assist Toronto in assessing the degree to which proceeding with the development of the waterfront will assist in achieving the City's sustainability goals
• provide a more comprehensive assessment of the overall relationship between waterfront revitalization and the environment. Projects will be assessed within the context of waterfront renewal as a whole and at an individual project level. This will assist in determining the relative environmental impact of the undertaking and in developing a process that will optimize the environmental performance of all renewal projects
• maximize information and resource sharing - the common elements of all EAs will be performed collectively, thus reducing duplication of effort. Information sharing will improve the quality of assessments
• facilitate the EA and approval process - the environmental assessment requirements for all undertakings will be clearly defined, thus reducing the time required to complete and review assessments.

These objectives were developed taking into account the City of Toronto's Strategic Plan, Environmental Plan, carbon dioxide reduction goal and the Toronto Plan Directions Report.

The process will consist of two parts:
Part 1: An overall (waterfront) level
Part 2: A project-specific level

The first part will address environmental assessment and other regulatory approvals at a strategic or overall (waterfront) level to the greatest extent possible. Consequently, the level of effort required at the project-specific level will be reduced. At the second or project-specific level, the process will provide a framework and guidance for completing project/action specific documentation to meet regulatory requirements. The process will involve the preparation of a waterfront EA document that will set the environmental context for all waterfront renewal projects.

Public consultation activities for this project will begin in early 2002. Opportunities for public input will be coordinated with other waterfront projects to provide a one-window access point for the public.