Compliance and enforcement
The NEC compliance complaint reporting form is not anonymous. All submissions are recorded and if you do not wish to provide your personal information and have it recorded in an occurrence report, do not file using this form. Records generated may be disclosed as part of the prosecution process, and complainants may be called to testify.
The Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC) along with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) have a shared responsibility in ensuring development activities within the Niagara Escarpment Plan Area comply with the Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act (NEPDA), Niagara Escarpment Plan (NEP) and associated regulations.
NEC staff apply a risk management approach to compliance activities. When a potential violation (occurrence) is identified, our staff gather and consider information about the occurrence including compliance history and potential environmental impact. NEC staff use case specific information to make informed judgements to determine the appropriate response. Options for response under the NEPDA include:
- encourage voluntary compliance
- use a Development Permit to gain compliance
- apply an administrative order
- apply a warning
- lay of a charge (under the Provincial Offences Act.)
Inspections are planned annually to monitor compliance with issued Development Permits and their conditions. Inspections may also be undertaken in response to information reported by NEC staff or the public, or as part of targeted inspection campaign.
To report a concern, contact us at 905-877-5191 or fill out the online form below. Please note that, once you have submitted your concern, NEC staff will only contact you if they have questions or require additional information as part of their assessment. Additionally, NEC staff are committed to preserving the integrity of the investigation and adhering to all privacy legislation and requirements during a compliance investigation. For this reason, NEC staff are unable to provide status updates or share information related to a complaint or ongoing compliance issue.