Approvals for our Bala Falls small hydro project falls under a number of provincial and federal regulatory and permitting requirements.
Because
authorization is required under the Fisheries Act and the Navigable Waters Protection Act, our Bala Falls small hydro project must
meet Canadian Environmental Assessment Act requirements.
The project is also subject to provincial authority under Ontario’s Environmental
Assessment Act (O.Reg. 116/01) that requires an environmental screening in accordance with the Ministry of Environment’s Guide to
Environmental Assessment Requirements for Electricity Projects.
Also, as a condition of the Ministry of Natural Resource’s (MNR) release of Crown lands adjacent to Bala’s North Dam, the project’s
environmental screening document must also meet the intent of MNR’s Water Management Planning Guidelines and the Muskoka River Water
Management Plan that govern allowable water uses for this lake and river system.
In addition to these provincial and federal
environmental assessment requirements, Swift River Energy must also obtain a number of other land use licenses and permits.
Issued October 2009
Volume 1
Section 1 - Introduction - click here
Section 3 - Agency,
Public and First Nation Consultation - click here
Section 4 - Issues, Data Gaps and Baseline Data CollectionProgram - click here
Section
5 - Effects Assessment, Proposed Mitigation and ResidualEffects During Project Construction - click here
Section 6 - Effects Assessment
and Proposed Mitigation andResidual Effects During Operations - click here
Section 8 -
Effect of the Environment on the Project andConsideration of Accidents and Malfunctions - click here
Section 9 - Water Management
Plan Amendments - click here
Section 10 - Environmental Monitoring Plan - click here
Section 11 - Environmental Permits & Approvals
- click here
Section 12 - Conclusions & Recommendations - click here
Volume 2
Appendix B - MOE Screening Criteria Checklist - click here
Appendix C1 to C4 -
Acoustic Assessment Report, Surface Water Quality Results, Fish Community Data, Benthic Invert. Data - click here
Appendix
C5 and C6 - Resolutions, Township of Muskoka Lakes and District of Muskoka - click here
Appendix C7 - Stage 1 and 2 Archaeological
Assessments - click here
Appendix C8 - Heritage Impact Assessment - click here
Appendix
D5 - Public Information Centre 2007 - click here
Appendix D6 - Summary of Consultation with Public and Stakeholders During Phase I
- click here
Appendix D8 to D12 Phase 1 Consultations - click here
Appendix D13 - August
2008 Flyer and Distribution Map - click here
Appendix D14 - Notice of Public Information Centre 2008 - click here
Appendix D15 - Public
Information Centre 2008 - click here
Appendix D16 to D23 - Phase 2 Consultations - click here
Notice of Completion for the Project (under O.Reg. 116/01) was declared on October 9, 2009 at which time the Environmental Screening
Review/Report (ESRR) was made avaiable to agencies, aboriginal communities, stakeholders and the public for comments. The mandated
30 day review was extended voluntarily by Swift River to 44 days. A digital copy of the document is provided below. It
has been broken down into individual sections and appendices to facilitate downloading over the internet.
Subsequent to the MOE Decision, there was a 15-day appeal period for individuals wishing to request the Minister
of Environment review and / or alter the MOE Director's decision.
On May 30, 2012, Swift River
issued notice of its Addendum to the ESRR under O.Reg. 116/09, at which time the Addendum report was made available to agencies, aboriginal
communities, stakeholders and the public for the statutory 30 day review/comment period. A digital copy of the document is provided
below.
Subsequent
to the MOE Director's decision there was a 15-day appeal period for individuals wishing to request the Minister of Environment review
and / or alter the MOE Director's decision.
On January 24, 2013, Swift River Energy filed the Statement of Completion with
the MOE, signifying the end of the provincial environmental assessment
Summary of Frequently Asked Questions regarding EA Report (April, 2010)
click here
November 2010 - The Economic Impact
Assessment, by The Centre for Spatial Economics -
click here
{Please note that the version of the Main Report posted here was updated June
28, 2012. Changes to the originally posted one on May 30, 2012 were purely editorial and did not involve any changes to the project
description, associated impacts or proposed mitigations.
The Appendices posted here were updated July 20, 2012 to incorporate updated
downstream flow velocity modelling results in Appendix E}
Copyright 2013 Swift River Energy Limited. All Rights Reserved.
