Report on permit response times

NVCA is committed to providing customer service that is timely, welcoming, and helpful. The Conservation Authorities Act requires NVCA to notify applicants within 21 days whether their applications are complete. NVCA will make a decision on all complete applications within 90 days. In keeping with NVCA’s commitment to timely customer service, NVCA will strive to make decisions inline with Conservation Ontario’s best practices—30 days for minor applications and 90 days for major applications.

On April 1, 2024 changes to the Conservation Authorities Act and Ontario Regulation 686/21: Mandatory Programs and Services, and the enactment of Ontario Regulation 41/24: Prohibited Activities, Exceptions and Permits set out changes to permit timelines and reporting requirements. Section 8.1(1) of Ontario Regulation 686/21 states that:

“The authority shall prepare and publish an annual report that outlines statistics on permits, including reporting on its level of compliance with the requirements of Ontario Regulation 41/24 (Prohibited Activities, Exemptions and Permits), made under the Act, respecting the application for and issuance of permits, including any associated timelines”.

Permit Statistics and Compliance with Ontario Regulation 41/24

Below is a table that breaks down NVCA’s permitting statistics and compliance with Ontario Regulation 41/24 from January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024.

Annual Reporting – Permit Statistics

Timeline	# of permits issued
Total Permits Issued (Overall) (January 1– December 31):	#523
Total Major Permits Issued (January 1 – December 31):	#240
Total Minor Permits Issued (January 1 – December 31):	#283
Total Applications Subject to Minister’s Order (Minister’s Review):	#0

Annual Reporting – Permit Timelines

Type of Permit	# of permits issued
COMPLETE APPLICATION REVIEW Total complete application reviews completed in 21 days:	#515
PERMIT TIMELINES (MAJOR) Total Major Permits Issued Within Decision Timeline (90 Days):	#229
PERMIT TIMELINES (MAJOR) Total Major Permits Issued Outside Decision Timeline (90 Days):	#11
PERMIT TIMELINES (MINOR) Total Minor Permits Issued Within Decision Timeline (30 Days – CO Best Practice):	#235
PERMIT TIMELINES (MINOR) Total Minor Permits Issued Outside Decision Timeline (30 Days – CO Best Practice):	#48
VARIANCE FROM TIMELINES Reason for Variance from Timelines (Optional):	This is a combination of all permits from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024; some permits are not subject to the new timelines.
PERMIT TIMELINES (AVERAGE – ALL) Overall Average Permit Review Timeline:	20 days on average

Annual Reporting – Compliance with O. Reg. 41/24

Type of Compliance	Status
MAPPING Are maps of regulated areas available at the CA head office and on the CA website? (ss. 4(1) of O. Reg. 41/24)	Yes
MAPPING Has the Authority undertaken an annual review of the mapping and made necessary updates? (ss. 4(2) of O. Reg. 41/24)	It is ongoing. Following the public consultation period, NVCA hopes to bring the draft regulation mapping forward for Board approval in May 2025.
ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEWS Total requests for administrative reviews made to the Authority:	#0
ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEWS Total administrative reviews completed within 30 days of the request:	NVCA did not have any Administrative Reviews in 2024.