Activities with air and noise emissions that are considered high risk by the MECP, formerly the MOECC, require an Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA).
The application for an ECA is governed by Ontario Regulation 419/05, promulgated under the EPA. The basis of the application is to provide an impact assessment that demonstrates that there are no emissions from a source in excess of that prescribed by the regulation. Guidance documentation related to O. Reg. 419/05 describes the use of emission measurements or estimates that can be used as inputs into an air dispersion model; the results of which provide airborne concentrations at points of impingement (POI) normally at or beyond the property boundary of a facility, or at specified sensitive receptors. The resulting POI values are compared against MECP standards to test for compliance.
O. Reg. 419/05 requires facilities to be in compliance with new standards and models by certain phase-in dates. The new models tend to predict higher impacts than the older models used under the now out-dated CofA process. Moreover, air quality standards have been made more stringent. Together, these changes may cause facilities that were previously in compliance to fall out of compliance. For facilities such as those involved in metal ore mining, petroleum refineries and iron and steel mills and foundries, the date was 2010. Therefore, the need to review now is especially critical. For facilities such as pulp and paper mills, chemical manufacturing, and fabricated metal product manufacturing, the phase-in date was 2013. For all other types of facilities, the phase-in date is 2020.