By Jacqui Hebert In 2012, Steven Harper’s Conservative government “streamlined” the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA) to promote “responsible resource development”. Critics said the amendments created a “carte blanche” for big energy companies and put a stranglehold on public participation. Under current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change has been […]
Tag Archives: Canadian Environmental Assessment Act
Putting Pipelines to the Test: Incorporating Climate Impacts into the Pipeline Review Process
On January 27 2016, the Liberal Government announced that oil and gas projects under federal jurisdiction will now involve an assessment of upstream greenhouse gas emissions and this information will be made public. “Upstream” effects refer to GHG emissions from oil and gas exploration and production. For projects currently under review, including Trans Mountain Expansion […]
Downstream Emissions in Canada’s New Environmental Assessment “Climate Test”
In late January 2016, Canada’s federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna, and Minister of Natural Resources, Jim Carr, announced interim changes to environmental assessment processes as part of “efforts to restore public trust.” One of the changes is to assess “[d]irect and upstream greenhouse gas emissions linked to projects under review.” This is a […]
The Importance of Public Participation
Canada has established itself as a powerhouse in diamond production over the last few decades, and is currently the world’s third-largest producer of diamonds. The first economic diamond deposit was discovered in 1991, and three diamond mines are currently operating in the country: Ekati and Diavik in the Northwest Territories, and the Victor open-pit mine […]
