MECP’s Jurisdictional Avoidance: How Ontario’s Environment Ministry Stepped Away From Pearson’s Environmental Harms
- MECP’s line: Pearson’s environmental and noise impacts are “federal jurisdiction,” and the ministry refuses to coordinate any action.
- Ontario’s own record says the opposite: ServiceOntario states that aircraft noise compliance in Ontario is governed by Transport Canada and MECP.
- Federal documents confirm provincial powers: Transport Canada’s AC 300-009 and the Pearson Ground Lease both say provincial laws apply at the airport.
- What PAA did: Filed a detailed challenge to MECP and a reconsideration request to the Ontario Ombudsman.
For years, residents under the Toronto Pearson flight paths have asked a simple question: What is Ontario’s role in protecting communities from the environmental and health impacts coming from the airport?
The answer from the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) has been consistent — and consistently misleading:
“This is all federal jurisdiction.”
But the record tells a very different story. This page documents the contradictions, omissions, and jurisdictional avoidance that have left hundreds of thousands of Ontario residents with no meaningful environmental protection.
1. MECP Claims “No Jurisdiction.” The Government of Ontario Says the Opposite.
MECP has repeatedly told residents: “The ministry does not regulate noise or emissions from aircraft.”
But another Ontario ministry — the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery (via ServiceOntario) — stated something very different in writing:
“Aircraft noise compliance in Ontario is governed by Transport Canada AND the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP), which sets noise limits for stationary and transportation sources.”
This is an internal contradiction within the Government of Ontario itself. One ministry says MECP does regulate aircraft noise; MECP says it has no role whatsoever. Both statements cannot be true.
2. MECP Ignores Ground-Based Environmental Sources Entirely
Residents never asked MECP to regulate aircraft in flight. Our questions were focused on ground-based environmental impacts, which unquestionably fall under Ontario jurisdiction:
- Fuel storage, spills, and apron runoff
- De-icing chemicals (glycol) entering stormwater
- Boilers, auxiliary power units, and stationary combustion
- Construction and industrial noise
These are classic sources regulated under Ontario’s Environmental Protection Act (EPA), the Ontario Water Resources Act (OWRA), and O. Reg. 419/05. MECP has never answered whether it accepts responsibility for these sources.
Why this matters: Runway chemicals and chemical residue are ground-based contaminants that end up in Ontario soil, groundwater and stormwater systems. They fall under Ontario’s Environmental Protection Act and Ontario Water Resources Act — not just federal aviation law. MECP’s claim that “it is all federal” is incompatible with this evidence.
3. Transport Canada Confirms Provincial Laws DO Apply
Transport Canada’s Advisory Circular AC 300-009 states clearly that provincial, territorial and municipal laws of general application may validly apply at aerodromes, and that the Aeronautics Act does not automatically shield airports from provincial environmental or noise legislation.
In other words: Transport Canada says Ontario DOES have jurisdiction. MECP says it does NOT.
4. The Pearson Ground Lease
The Pearson Ground Lease explicitly states that the GTAA must comply with all applicable provincial and municipal laws “as if the property were not federal public property.”
MECP has responded by saying: “We are not a party to the Ground Lease and will not interpret it.” But refusing to interpret the lease does not erase Ontario’s environmental statutes or Pearson’s obligations under them.
Latest Update: Formal Challenge (January 2026)
On January 12, 2026, the Pearson Accountability Alliance submitted a formal challenge to MECP and a reconsideration request to the Ontario Ombudsman, documenting these contradictions and asking both bodies to clarify Ontario’s responsibilities.
PAA is currently awaiting MECP’s written response to the January 12, 2026 follow-up letter regarding ground-based environmental sources, and the Ombudsman’s decision on whether to reopen the file in light of new evidence.
Related Oversight Case: Ontario Ombudsman
When residents raised MECP’s refusal to use Ontario’s environmental powers around Pearson,
the Ontario Ombudsman closed the file after accepting MECP’s claim that Pearson’s impacts are “federal.”
PAA has documented serious procedural and factual errors in that decision.
Read: Oversight Failure – How the Ombudsman Accepted MECP’s Story on Pearson →
Documents (PDFs)
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MECP – Formal and Final Response (Nov 13, 2025)
MECP’s written refusal to coordinate any action, framing Pearson’s impacts as solely “federal.” -
ServiceOntario / INFOline Response (Oct 21, 2025)
Government of Ontario confirmation that aircraft noise compliance in Ontario is governed by Transport Canada and MECP. -
Chemical Residue & Ground-Based Sources Complaint to MECP (Redacted)
Letter documenting “CHEMICAL RESIDUE PRESENT” in ATIS reports and outlining MECP’s obligations under Ontario environmental law.
Take Action: Demand Answers
Use the tool below to turn MECP’s “no jurisdiction” line into a formal challenge you can send to MPs, MPPs, councillors, ombuds, unions, or media. Then, in Step 2, direct this evidence to the right federal, provincial, municipal, and public-health bodies.
Fill in your details and the person or office you are writing to. Then copy the letter or open it directly in your email app.
Turn MECP’s “no jurisdiction” line into a formal challenge
Generate a formal letter you can adapt for MPs, councillors, MPPs, ombuds, unions, or media.
Where to Direct This Evidence
Use the tools below to send this evidence to the relevant federal, provincial, municipal and public-health decision-makers. These shortcodes pull the same “Where to Direct This Evidence” cards used across the Evidence Hub so that contacts stay synchronized.
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Pearson Accountability Alliance
Independent Environmental & Public Health Research for Toronto Pearson Communities.