Garden Hill Dam Class Environmental Assessment Moving Forward

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, August 31, 2026 (Port Hope, ON) — The Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority (GRCA) has begun the Class Environmental Assessment process for the Garden Hill Dam, after awarding the contract to a successful consultant.

At their Aug. 20th meeting, the GRCA Board of Directors received an update report from GRCA Watershed Services Coordinator Cory Harris, P.Eng., indicating the GRCA has moved ahead with recommendations to prepare a request for proposal (RFP) and review submissions from qualified consultants. CIMA+ was selected with sub-consultants GEO Morphix and Matrix Heritage.

Background materials have been shared with the consultant and the start-up meeting was held August 18th. The GRCA has corresponded with staff from the Municipality of Port Hope to keep respective team members informed throughout the RFP process. It is anticipated a ‘notice of study commencement’ will be released shortly and a communications plan will be prepared to guide the public consultation activities during the study.

This progress follows staff recommendations at the March 2026 GRCA board meeting that an application be made for provincial Water and Erosion Control Infrastructure (WECI) funding. WECI is a Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR)(opens in new tab) cost-share program to help manage critical flood and erosion control assets, such as dams.

On June 5th, staff received provincial confirmation the WECI application had been successful, leading to the beginning of the RFP process. The study will be funded 50 per cent by the Municipality of Port Hope and 50 per cent by the MNR, requiring completion within the province’s fiscal year between April 1 and March 15.

Public input will be encouraged during the EA process, including but not limited to Indigenous Peoples, members of the community, local groups / organizations and other stakeholders. A website page will be developed on the GRCA website to host the latest information available and will be shared via social media and future releases.

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For more information about the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority, please call 905.885.8173 or visit https://grca.on.ca.