Steering Committee
2007-2008:
Pat Moss (Co-Chair)
Northwest Institute
Gary Schneider
(Co-Chair)
Environmental Coalition of Prince Edward Island
J. Denys Bourque
Le club d'ornithologie du Madawaska
John Burcombe
Mouvement Au Courant
Meinhard Doelle
Clean Nova Scotia
Joseph Hnatiuk
Canadian Society of Environmental Biologists
Jamie Kneen
MiningWatch Canada
Oscar Koren
Slovenian Sports Federation
Arlene Kwasniak
Alberta Wilderness Association
Bruno Marcocchio
Sierra Club of Canada
Susan Rutherford
West Coast Environmental Law Association
John Sinclair
Resource Conservation Manitoba
Caucus Coordinator:
Philana Dollin
Tel: (613) 728-9810 ext. 222
Fax: (613) 728-2963
The EPA Caucus gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency
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Environmental Planning and Assessment
 The
Environmental Planning and Assessment (EPA) Caucus of the Canadian
Environmental Network is an active body of more than 80 environmental
assessment practitioners, community-based educators, academics,
activists, lawyers, policy analysts, private consultants and other
concerned citizens. All of these individuals have first-hand experience
with environmental assessment (EA) in Canada and they share a
common vision of truly effective environmental assessment in this
country.
What's New?
Objectives
The Caucus provides input and feedback to all
member groups and, through face-to-face meetings and regular communication,
is able bring forward a strong analysis of the many facets of
environmental assessment in this country. This allows Caucus members
to inform the environmental community about developments and issues
connected with the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and its regulations, and allows member groups to fit local initiatives
into larger policy contexts.
The strong communication between diverse member
groups located in all regions of Canada and the energy, knowledge
and "on the ground" experience of its members make the
Caucus the most substantive and dynamic network of environmental
assessment expertise in Canada today.
Caucus Activities
Canadian Environmental Assessment Act
The Environmental Planning and Assessment Caucus
has worked since the late 1980s on various elements of the development
of federal EA. The Five-Year Review of the Act was well served
by members of the caucus who participated in regional workshops
and public consultations across the country. During the review
process, the caucus identified twelve
issues that were considered to be priorities in seeking improvements
to the Act. In addition, to help environmental and citizen's groups
participate in the five-year review, the EPA caucus prepared a citizen's
report card and a citizen's
briefing kit. The report card provided an evaluation of the
effectiveness of environmental assessment and how EA in Canada
could be improved. The briefing kit contained a series of papers
designed to provide background and support to public participation
in the review process.
In 2000, the caucus produced a series of case
studies that looked at the major environmental assessments
in Canada in the last twenty-five years from a public participant's
perspective. The case studies highlighted many of the weaknesses,
and some of the strengths, of the current practice of EA in Canada.
Bill C-9
Since 2000, the caucus' focus has been on Bill
C-9, an act to amend the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act
(CEAA), which came about as result of the Five-Year Review of
the Act. Key areas of concern for the
Caucus include public involvement; environmental assessment tracks;
policy environmental assessment/strategic environmental assessment;
criteria for determinations under the Canadian Environmental Assessment
Act; including federal bodies under the Act; and enforcement of
the Act and decisions under the Act.
A summary
of transcripts from Bill C-9 proceedings is available.
Committees
Since the inception of the Environmental Assessment
Review Process Guidelines Order, members of the Caucus have participated
in, and contributed to, the development of the Canadian
Environmental Assessment Act and its regulations. At present,
representatives of Caucus member groups participate in the Minister
of Environment's multi-stakeholder Regulatory
Advisory Committee (RAC) and its subcommittees: CIDA, Public
participation in screenings, Federal offshore oil and gas EA issues,
Exclusion List regulations.
Environmental Assessment Workshops
Citizens must have skills and knowledge to effectively
engage in environmental assessment. To achieve this, the Caucus
holds community-based workshops throughout the country. The main
objective of the workshop, designed and written by the Caucus,
is to provide people with the skills, knowledge and confidence
to participate in federal or federal-provincial environmental
assessments. The workshop includes information on how to access
public registries and the Federal Environmental Assessment Index,
how groups can organize with other like-minded groups, and how
groups and individuals can participate in public hearings.
List of workshops:
- St. John's, NF, 1998
- Timmins, ON, 1999
- Smithers, BC, 1999
- Winnipeg, MB, 2000
- Montreal, QC, 2001
- Winnipeg, MB (follow-up workshop), 2002
- Sydney, NS, 2002
- Fredericton, NB, 2003
- Dawson and Whitehorse, YT, 2005
EA Reporter
The EA Reporter, a bi-annual newsletter established
in 2000, provides readers with an opportunity to discover more
about environmental assessment issues across the country and the
people involved in them. It fosters and strengthens communication
networks both within the Caucus and between the Caucus and the
Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.
Caucus Meetings
Twenty to thirty fully funded delegates democratically
selected by members of the caucus' Steering Committee attend two
annual meetings in Ottawa. There, delegates share experiences,
consider options for action, and meet with representatives from
the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.
Details on minutes, agendas, etc., are available
for caucus members only.
If you require access to these documents, please contact
the EPA Caucus.
Strategic Plan
In the fall of 2002, the Caucus started the process
of developing a longer-term strategy to improve EA within all
jurisdictions of Canada. To this end, a Caucus member led an electronically
assisted strategic planning process over several months, culminating
in over 30 strategic actions, three
key priority areas, and six
new Caucus committees. These initiatives will guide the Caucus'
activities over the coming years.
Projects Outside Canada
The EPA Caucus is involved in Projects Outside Canada.
Related Links
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