Standards Policies and Guidelines

What is the Consolidated Linear Infrastructure Environmental Compliance Approval?

The Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) oversees the Consolidated Linear Infrastructure Environmental Compliance Approval (CLI ECA) program. The CLI-ECA program pre-authorizes the Town to issue approvals for low risk publicly owned stormwater infrastructure.

The CLI ECA program is a more efficient approval process that will enhance environmental protection, reduce processing timelines and provides clear, transparent and consistent requirements across all Ontario municipalities.

Most alterations to the municipal stormwater system will need to meet preauthorized conditions, and will be reviewed and approved by the Town (e.g. subdivision developments).

Generally, the Town is permitted to approve stormwater alterations, where alterations are additions, modifications, replacements and/or extensions, under one of the following scenarios:

• Changes to infrastructure on Town owned property or land which the Town has an easement
• Addition of new storm sewers, stormwater management facilities and/or manufactured treatment devices that will be conveyed to the Town and services a new subdivision development

With approval from the Town, prescribed persons may alter the municipal stormwater management system subject to the conditions in the Town’s CLI-ECA. The Town expects development submissions to demonstrate that the proposed alteration will be completed in compliance with the Town’s CLI-ECA conditions including performance criteria, erosion and sediment control, design criteria, inspection, testing, operations, maintenance, monitoring, and reporting, among others as applicable to the development.

What stormwater projects are not pre-authorized under the Town’s CLI ECA?

The Town’s CLI ECA does not permit approval of alterations in the following situations and as described in Schedule D Sections 4.3, 5.3 and 6.3:

• On industrial, commercial, or institutional land;
• Serving a single parcel of land, unless the stormwater management facility is located on a municipally owned park or community center;
• That are operated as waste disposal sites defined under the EPA or snow dump / melt facilities; or,
• That propose to collect, store, treat, or discharge stormwater containing substances or pollutants (other than Total Suspended Solids, or oil and grease) detrimental to the environment or human health.

Applicants will need to directly submit an ECA application to the MECP for stormwater infrastructure constructed for the following purposes:

• Private stormwater infrastructure (e.g., storm sewers or stormwater management facilities)
• Alternations servicing a single parcel of land
• Alternations to Town stormwater infrastructure on industrial, institutional, or commercial land (even if part of the Municipal Stormwater Treatment Train

If the work qualifies for direct submission to the MECP, refer to the Ministry’s Guide to applying for an environmental compliance approval.

Certain routine and lower-risk activities require applicants to register online in the Environmental Activity and Sector Registry (EASR). In these cases, an ECA is not required. To find out when to apply for an ECA or when to self-register for an EASR, check the Ministry’s website or contact them directly:

• phone 416-314-8001 (Toll-free: 1-800-461-6290); or
• email enviropermissions@ontario.ca

Once the appropriate engineering drawings are sufficiently advanced, the applicant will be required to submit the following administrative documents when requesting an alteration approval through the Town’s CLI-ECA:

1. Record of Future Alteration (referred to as SW Form): Applicants are to submit SW Forms for each type of alteration for every sewershed within the subject property. The applicant is required to complete Part 2 and Part 3 of each submitted SW Form(s). The Town will provide more explicit instructions after the first engineering submission on the SW Form(s) that will need to be submitted in the application for the proposed alterations. Part 1 and 4 will be completed by the Town when it is satisfied that the application is complete and acceptable. Parts 1 through 4 must be completed before construction is permitted to proceed. Part 5 will be completed by the Town after construction has been completed in accordance with the approved design.
   • SW1 Form(s) are required for Storm Sewers, Ditches, or Culverts
   • SW2 Form(s) are required for Stormwater Management Facilities and Manufactured Treatment Devices
   • SW3 Form(s) are required for Third Party Collection Systems
2. Stormwater Design Report and complete set of engineer drawing showing plan and profile, and at a minimum including location of the undertaking (e.g. street name, easement, etc.) and all components of the alteration.
3. Asset Information Table Template - A table is required for each of the stormwater management facility and for the treatment train as a whole.
4. Application Checklist(s)
   • SW1 Checklist is required for Storm Sewers, Ditches, or Culverts.
   • SW2 Checklist is required for Stormwater Management Facilities
   • SW2 Checklist for Manufactured Treatment Devices (MTDs) is required for sedimentation and filtration MTDs
   • SW3 Checklist is required for Third Party Collection Systems
5. Application Fees

The following application fees are applicable per the Town’s User Fee By-law:

* plus costs includes additional hours exceeding hours of review

A detailed technical review is required to assess the:

• completeness and adequacy of the submitted detailed design and other supporting information
• compliance of the application with design standards and guidelines, terms, and conditions of the City’s CLI ECA SWM Agreement
• conformance with the principles of sound engineering to evaluate the impacts of the proposed works on the municipal stormwater management system

In the process of the detailed review, it may be determined that more information is necessary for proper assessment of the application. The reviewer will request more information from the applicant and/or the applicant’s agent.

The issuing of this Approval does not negate the requirements of other regulatory agencies, which may include:

• Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry,
• Toronto and Region Conservation Authority or Credit Valley Conservation,
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada,
• Transport Canada, and
• other agencies as required.

Once the Town has received a complete CLI ECA application, the proposed alteration will be approved within approximately three weeks. The Town will notify the applicant if processing times should exceed three weeks.

Timeframes will vary for incomplete submissions and/or re-reviews.