Green Standards and Guidelines for Site Servicing

Stormwater management in Ontario has continually progressed in the last few decades in an effort to protect public health and safety, prevent property damage and improve the water quality of Ontario’s lakes and rivers. Recent Provincial guidance has directed efforts to focus on managing stormwater at the source with the release of the Provincial Policy Statement (2020) and Draft Low Impact Development Stormwater Management Guidance Manual (2022). Since then, Hamilton staff have been providing technical review on development applications involving stormwater management.

In keeping with Council’s priority “to protect our unique natural landscape and waterways and to mitigate the impacts of climate change” staff have identified a need to manage the control of stormwater runoff on-site more comprehensively and systematically, while also acknowledging the need for the continued use of traditional end-of-pipe solutions. Staff engaged a consultant to prepare a comprehensive assessment of the current state of the stormwater industry with respect to source controls and the Green Standards and Guidelines for Site Servicing (Stormwater) or GSG was created.

The goals and objectives of these guidelines:

• Protect, improve, or restore the quality and quantity of water
• Create sustainable and resilient communities
• Build livable, attractive, and economically prosperous communities
• Support effective implementation of the GSG