In this Act,
“Deputy Minister” means the Deputy Minister of Natural Resources; (“sous-ministre”)
“Minister” means the Minister of Natural Resources; (“ministre”)
“Ministry” means the Ministry of Natural Resources. (“ministère”) R.S.O. 1990, c. M.31, s. 1; 2017, c. 8, Sched. 17, s. 1; 2021, c. 4, Sched. 6, s. 63 (1).
The Minister is responsible for the administration of this Act and any other Acts that are assigned to him or her by the Acts or by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.
The ministry of the public service known in English as the Ministry of Natural Resources and in French as ministère des Richesses naturelles is continued.
The Minister shall preside over and have charge of the Ministry.
(1) There shall be,
a Deputy Minister of Natural Resources who shall be the deputy head of the Ministry;
a Surveyor General who shall be appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council and who shall perform such duties in connection with the surveying of lands, investigation of water powers, engineering, inspection, research and such other matters as are assigned by the Lieutenant Governor in Council or by the Minister.
Such employees as are required from time to time for the proper conduct of the business of the Ministry may be appointed under Part III of the Public Service of Ontario Act, 2006. ;
No action or other proceeding for damages shall be instituted against the Deputy Minister, or any employee of the Ministry or anyone acting under his or her authority for any act done in good faith in the execution or intended execution of his or her duty or for any alleged neglect or default in the execution in good faith of his or her duty. ;
Subsection (3) does not, by reason of subsection 8 (3) of the Crown Liability and Proceedings Act, 2019, relieve the Crown of liability in respect of a tort committed by a person mentioned in subsection (3) to which it would otherwise be subject and the Crown is liable under that Act for any such tort in like manner as if subsection (3) had not been enacted. ;
[Repealed]
(1) The Minister may authorize the Deputy Minister or any other employee in the Ministry to exercise any power or perform any duty that is granted to or vested in the Minister under this or any other Act.
The Minister may limit an authorization made under subsection (1) in such manner as he or she considers advisable.
Section 6 of the Executive Council Act does not apply to a deed or contract that is executed under an authorization made under subsection (1).
The Minister may enter into a contract in respect of any matter that is under his or her administration under this or any other Act.
(1) The Minister may authorize the use of a facsimile of his or her signature and the Deputy Minister may authorize the use of a facsimile of his or her signature on any document except an affidavit or a statutory declaration.
A facsimile of the signature of the Minister or the Deputy Minister affixed to a document under an authorization made under subsection (1) shall be deemed to be the signature of the Minister or the Deputy Minister, as the case requires.
(1) The Lieutenant Governor in Council may authorize a seal for the Ministry.
The seal may be reproduced by engraving, lithographing, printing or other method of mechanical reproduction and when so reproduced has the same effect as if manually affixed.
Affidavits or statutory declarations required under any Act administered by the Minister or intended to be used in reference to any claim, business or transaction in the Ministry or in respect of which the Ministry is interested or which affects the revenue of Ontario, under the control of the Ministry, may be taken before any person having authority to administer oaths or before a local registrar of the Superior Court of Justice, or before the Minister or Deputy Minister, or before any person appointed for that purpose by the Minister or Deputy Minister, or before an Ontario land surveyor appointed by the Minister or Deputy Minister to inquire into, take evidence in or report upon any matter pending in the Ministry. ;
A copy of an instrument made or issued under the hand of the Minister or Deputy Minister or of any officer of the Ministry under the authority of any Act administered by the Minister or under the authority of the regulations made under those Acts, purporting to be certified by the Minister, Deputy Minister or officer as a true copy of such instrument is receivable in evidence in any action, prosecution or other proceeding as proof, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, of the instrument and its contents without proof of the signature or official position of the person purporting to have made the certificate.
Subject to the approval of the Lieutenant Governor in Council, the Minister may establish advisory committees to the Minister and sub-committees thereto, appoint the chairs and members of such committees and sub-committees, fix the terms of reference of such committees and sub-committees and fix the remuneration and expenses of the chairs and members of such committees and sub-committees.
(1) The Minister may establish programs to promote and stimulate the development and management of natural resources in Ontario.
A program established by the Minister under subsection (1) may promote and stimulate the development or management of natural resources in Ontario by providing financial assistance by way of a grant, on such conditions as the Minister may consider advisable.
No grant under subsection (2) may be made to any person without the prior approval of the Minister of Finance.
The Minister may require that the proponent of a renewable energy project, as defined in subsection 2 (1) of the Electricity Act, 1998, provide to the Minister the information or studies that the Minister considers necessary before the Minister issues a permit or approval under an Act for whose administration the Minister is responsible under the Executive Council Act. ;
The Minister after the close of each year shall submit to the Lieutenant Governor in Council an annual report upon the affairs of the Ministry and shall then lay the report before the Assembly if it is in session or, if not, at the next ensuing session.