Steering Committee
2010-2011:
Pat Moss (Co-Chair)
Northwest Institute, BC
Gary Schneider
(Co-Chair)
Environmental Coalition of Prince Edward Island, PEI
Doug Badger
Regional Envionmental Action Committee, AB
John Burcombe
Mouvement Au Courant, QC
Peter Duck
Bow Valley Naturalists, AB
Roberta Frampton Benefiel
Grand Riverkeeper Labrador, Inc, NL
Joseph Hnatiuk
Canadian Society of Environmental Biologists, AB
Jamie Kneen
MiningWatch Canada, ON
Arlene Kwasniak
Alberta Wilderness Association, AB
Bruno Marcocchio, Sierra Club of Canada, NS
Josh Paterson,
West Coast Environmental Law Association, BC
Michael Poellet, Inter-Church Uranium Committee Educational Cooperative, SK
John Sinclair
Resource Conservation Manitoba, MB
Caucus Coordinator:
Daniel Casselman
Tel: (613) 728-9810 ext. 236
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 & Assessment Caucus members share a common vision of truly effective environmental assessment (EA) in Canada, including the integration of EA into development planning.
Through face-to-face meetings and regular communication, the Caucus allows its member groups to bring forward a strong public interest analysis of the many facets of environmental planning and assessment in this country. Among other things, 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.
Workplan
Annual Report
Other Projects and Activities
Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (the Act):
The Caucus
has worked since the late 1980s on various elements of the development
of federal EA.
The Five-Year Review of the Act, completed in 2003, 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 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 Caucus prepared a citizen's
report card and a citizen's
briefing kit.
2010 Review of the Act
The Caucus is preparing to involve the public in the upcoming Seven-Year Review of the Act in 2010. Recognizing that this review will be different from the previous one, the Caucus believes that public awareness and involvement will play an even more important role. Public workshops, communications packages and research papers will be designed to help Canadians become engaged in the process. Specifically, the Caucus plans to look at ways to build awareness and capacity around the review, and at the same time increase public interest in federal environmental assessment. In essence, we are informing the public about the upcoming review, letting them know how they can get involved and providing the tools for effective participation in both the review and the broader environmental assessment process.
Caucus Working Groups and Internal Committees:
Since the advent of formal environmental assessment process in Canada with the inception of the Environmental Assessment Review Process (EARP) Guidelines Order in June 1984, members of the Caucus have participated in, and contributed to, the development of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and its regulations. Caucus members have also been involved in a range of advocacy and legal efforts to strengthen the CEA Act and its application. A number of working groups exist within the Caucus dedicated to a variety of activities to promote improved environmental assessment and participation regionally and federally, including but not limited to public participation, strategic EA and legal actions.
Regulatory Advisory Committees (RAC):
The Regulatory Advisory Committee (RAC) is a multi-stakeholder committee first established in 1992 to advise the Minister of Environment on the regulations and guidelines needed to implement the new Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA). Over the years, the RAC has evolved and broadened to include the provision of advice on environmental assessment policy in Canada, and the undertaking of periodic reviews of CEAA and its regulations. RAC has proven to be a viable multi-stakeholder forum for discussing environmental assessment issues with a history of constructive participants interested in seeking consensus to advance the practice of environmental assessment in Canada.
At present, representatives of Caucus member groups participate in the RAC to lend expertise, experience, knowledge, and credibility to the RAC and its subcommittees.
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 have and will continue to guide the Caucus’ activities over the coming years.
Caucus Meetings:
Subject to available funds, twenty to thirty delegates from member groups attend two meetings annually where delegates share experiences and consider options for action. Typically, one of the two meetings is held in Ottawa, where we can also meet with representatives of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency which administers the Act, to discuss both policy and the practical application of the Act.
If you are interested in obtaining a copy of the minutes from one of the recent Caucus meetings, please contact the EPA Caucus Coordinator.
Projects Outside Canada:
The EPA Caucus is not currently involved in projects outside Canada.
* Consult our Alphabet Decoder for a list of definitions of EA-related acronyms
Environmental Assessment in the News
In response to recent proposed changes to the CEAA, the EPA Caucus has prepared the following documents to help groups take action on this issue. Please share widely.
Here is a list of news stories related to EA issues:
Documents
* All documents are in pdf  format
Discussion Documents - CEAA 2010 Review:
Related Links*
* Please note that the RCEN is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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