To the Attention of the Clerk and Council
For Immediate Attention
May 31, 2006 - FYI 06/008

AMO Report on Brownfields Redevelopment Now Online

ISSUE:    AMO has developed a position paper on Brownfields redevelopment. It is intended to look at where we have been, what has been requested, what has been accomplished and what remains outstanding. The report focuses on this last issue.

BACKGROUND:

The document is structured as an informative guide that can be used by municipal staff and practitioners to determine what is in place, what is underway and what yet needs to be done. It builds on the work undertaken in 2000 and 2001 but it also highlights the positive steps that have been taken by the Federal and Provincial governments to enable a certain level of activity in relation to remediation of contaminated lands.

The area of Brownfields is extremely complicated as it delves into multiple areas of liability, finance, planning, environment, taxes, technology administration, education and a number of other areas.

The AMO paper has attempted to fairly assess/explain and make recommendations on the following groups of issues:

• Liability including municipal liability protection, regulatory liability, Joint and Several liability and civil liability;
• Federal and Provincial Liens, Orphaned Sites, Federally, Provincially Escheated Properties; Tax Sales and Miscellaneous Tax Implications;
• Regulatory Barriers including further improvements to the RSC Process, the Brownfields Environmental Site Registry improvements and Non-Potable vs. Potable Water;
• Technical Barriers including lack of New Technology; and Guidance & Training;
• Financial issues including the Brownfields Financial Tax Incentive Program (BFTI), Tax Increment Financing, CMHC and Mortgage Insurance for Brownfield Sites and creation of an Industrial Superfund;
• Stigma, education and awareness; and
• Preventing future Brownfields from occurring.

Action: For your information.

This information is available in the Policy Issues section of the AMO website at www.amo.on.ca

For more information, please contact: Milena Avramovic, AMO Senior Policy Advisor, at 416-971-9856 ext. 342.