News Release
Lack of progress on key issues for improving
federal environmental assessment
OTTAWA, October 30, 2003 - Members of the Environmental
Planning and Assessment Caucus of the Canadian Environmental Network
are disappointed at the lack of progress on key issues for improving
federal environmental assessment. This follows the legislative
five-year review of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act
(CEAA) and the passage of Bill C-9 (An Act to Amend the CEAA),
which will be proclaimed in force today.
“Canada needs a law requiring the environmental assessment
of policies, plans, and programs – not just projects,”
said Peter Duck, Co-chair of the Environmental Planning and Assessment
Caucus. “Strategic EA will avoid many of the problems of
project EA and put Canada on the path toward sustainability.”
Another issue is that the government removed a key new requirement
that would have given the public real involvement in EA –
review of screening reports. Screenings represent over 97% of
all EAs conducted under CEAA (about 7 000 each year), and are
the most basic type of assessment. Without requiring an opportunity
to comment on screening reports, public involvement in the thousands
of environmentally harmful projects that affect them will remain
minimal.
The government also declined to abolish self-assessment in favour
of an enforceable system. The federal government seems determined
not to change a largely discretionary, unenforceable environmental
assessment regime.
“The government has new legal duties as a result of these
amendments,” said Mr. Duck. “However, without entrenching
the fundamentals of environmental assessment into the legislation
and without implementing public interest groups’ other recommendations,
continued expensive and time-consuming litigation seems likely.”
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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.
This news release, along with more detailed
recommendations, is available on the EPA
Caucus web site.
For more information:
Peter Duck (403) 762-4335
Arlene Kwasniak (403) 286-8706
Co-Chairs, Environmental Planning and Assessment Caucus
Hugh Benevides (416) 944-9178
Legal researcher
Canadian Environmental Law Association
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