The province has proposed a draft regulation detailing when exactly the minister can take over the permitting process from conservation authorities. The list includes uses such as housing, transportation, hospitals, highways and community services.

Barbara Patrocinio, QP Briefing (iPolitics)

The Ford government is proposing a new regulation that would give the minister of natural resources power to take over permitting processes from conservation authorities for housing developments, transportation infrastructure and a wide suite of other uses.

The proposal comes one week after the Ford government's changes to the Conservation Authorities Act came into force, which gave the minister the final word over developments in ecologically sensitive areas, as long as they are considered of "provincial interest.”

The definition of "provincial interest,” or lack thereof, is being criticized by environmentalists and advocacy groups, who claim the term could mean anything.

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