Tag Archives: environmental assessment

Environmental Assessment in Practice

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The federal Minister of Environment and Climate has assembled an Expert Panel to evaluate environmental assessment in Canada, receive input from First Nations, industry, environmental groups, the public, and masticate this into revisions to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.

I managed to squeak in this last minute submission.  One aspect of my input I would like to have spent more time on is the effect that shrinking the scientific resources in the public service has had on environmental stewardship. I think the path to improved environmental assessment lies as much through an investment in robust institutions and human resources as it does through legislative change.

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Mount Milligan forges ahead, Prosperity proposal looks for lifeline

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I suppose I should note my tiny contribution to the Prosperity discussion. I got a call from the Vancouver Sun to provide some background on federal and provincial environmental assessment.  I've not worked on the project at all, so can't contribute anything meaningful about the actual decision, but I think it's worth discussing the reality vs. perception when it comes to the process. 

"The feds and the province do their best to work together, and spend a lot of time working together, but they have different mandates and constitutional responsibilities," Brian Yates, of the environmental consulting firm Hemmera, said in an interview.

The federal Fisheries Act, for instance, makes the federal government responsible for maintaining fish habitat.

And while the federal review may look at socio-economic factors in a review, Yates said the province takes a stronger look at those.

via www.vancouversun.com

Both reviews are robust in their own way, but reflect their differing priorities, mandates, and expertise.  It's interesting how 10 minutes of discussion gets reduced to a snippet quote. And it's relatively accurate.