The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) has announced that they will be moving forward with streamlining environmental permissions for small breweries on the Environmental and Regulatory Registries.
Effective July 1, 2023, a new regulation will enable small breweries (producing 30,000 hectolitres (hL) or less of beer and any secondary products, annually) to self-register the facility’s beer production activities without requiring technical reports. Additionally, effective May 24, 2023, an amendment to an existing regulation has been made to exempt the smallest breweries (3,000 hL or less annually) from the requirement to obtain a permission for air emissions. For more information, see here.
These changes will reduce the reporting burden on Ontario’s small breweries, reducing regulatory costs.
TIAO welcomes this move, which is the result of tireless advocacy by Ontario Craft Brewers (OCB), a key TIAO partner representing small, independent brewers across the province. TIAO looks forward to continued collaboration with OCB to create a regulatory environment that supports the growth of Ontario’s small breweries and their capacity to continue offering compelling visitor experiences. In 2022, brick and mortar craft breweries generated $211M in tourism-related economic activity, playing an important role in dispersing visitors from urban to rural communities, where 77% of Ontario craft breweries are located.