During preparation of the Assessment Report, the Source Protection Committee consulted with the public through three consultation periods. The first was a 35-day consultation period on a draft proposed Assessment Report, which included a public meeting. The Source Protection Committee is required to consider any comments submitted during this first public consultation period and to incorporate these comments, as necessary, into a revised document called the proposed Assessment Report. This proposed Assessment Report would then be posted for the second consultation period for 30 days. The Act requires the submission of the proposed Assessment Report to the Director, along with any public comments received during this second public consultation period, any comments the Source Protection Authority wishes to make, as well as a summary of any unresolved comments made by municipalities and First Nation bands during the first consultation period on the Assessment Report.
Consultation on the assessment reports was done jointly for the Saugeen, Grey Sauble, Northern Bruce Peninsula Source Protection Region. During the second round of consultation on the proposed reports, several comments were received from one member of the public.
Based on the review and analysis of the proposed Assessment Report, including consideration of whether all legislative requirements as set out in the Act, associated regulation and Director's Technical Rules were followed during preparation of the proposed AR, it was determined that the report was non-compliant with the Technical Rules.
The Director returned the proposed Assessment Report to the Source Protection Authority directing that amendments be made to the report, also that new or updated technical work be added to the AR, and that public consultation be held, as appropriate.
The Northern Bruce Peninsula Source Protection Authority consulted widely from to provide the public with an opportunity to comment on the amendments made as a result of the Director’s directions, as well as on the new updated information included in the amended proposed Assessment Report. The Source Protection Committee engaged the public, municipalities and property owners on whose properties significant drinking water threats have been identified.
Several comments were received during the consultation period mainly from landowners requesting more information who have been identified as having a significant drinking water threat on their property. Some of the comments were more generally about activities that could be a threat to source water. The comments received were considered by the Source Protection Committee.
The amended proposed Assessment Report was submitted on June 30, 2011 to the Director for consideration.
The amended proposed Assessment Report for the Northern Bruce Peninsula Source Protection Area has addressed all of the concerns originally raised by the ministry and new updated work was also completed. The amendments and updates of the proposed AR have refined the significant threat counts, but this total number has not drastically changed.
The Source Protection Authority did not submit comments on the proposed or amended proposed Assessment Report for the Northern Bruce Peninsula Source Protection Area and there are no unresolved comments from municipalities or the First Nation bands.
The amended proposed AR has satisfactorily addressed the legislative and regulatory requirements as set out in the Clean Water Act, Ontario Regulation 287/07 (General), and the Technical Rules: Assessment Report (November 2009).
The amended proposed Assessment Report has been approved as submitted.