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Important Information
If you wish to make OAIA members and friends aware of an event of
interest; make an important announcement; or contribute to the OAIA
News, please contact the Director of
Communications. Items can be placed on the website at
any time, but please note that you need to allow more lead time if
you wish to include your item in the OAIA News. We will also place
advertisements, particularly those pertaining to professional
services and available employment, in the News, and will consider
special-purpose E-mailings of interest to our members and friends.
You should be aware, however, that there may be charges associated
with those latter services.
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Information Links: Supreme Court
Decision on Scoping
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Changes to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act Amendments to the federal environmental assessment process came into force on October 30, 2003. The Honourable David Anderson, Minister of the Environment, said "the renewed Act will allow both the promotion of a prosperous economy and a healthy, sustainable environment. Changes to the Act mean higher quality assessments, a process that is more predictable and timely, and more opportunities for meaningful public participation, making it an important step in the evolution of environmental assessment in Canada."
The government has committed $51 million over five years to implement the improvements. The key changes include:
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adding a federal coordinator to assist departments and agencies in working together and with other jurisdictions
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eliminating the possibility of referring the project to a review panel following a comprehensive study assessment
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extending environmental assessment obligations to Crown corporations, beginning three years from the date of royal assent
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providing the public with improved and up-to-date information on all federal environmental assessments through the creation of an Internet registry , which can be found on the
Agency's Web site.
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increasing follow-up of assessments to ensure that sound mitigation measures are in place
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focusing resources on projects with adverse environmental effects and reducing the need to assess many smaller ones
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strengthening the role of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency to allow it to promote compliance, resolve disputes and coordinate federal involvement in assessments conducted in cooperation with other jurisdictions
For more information on the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, visit the Agency's
What's New in the Act section. This is where you can find the latest information on changes to the Act. | Top |
Bill 25 An Act to Enhance Public Transit and Provide for a Smart Transportation
System in Ontario
Earlier this year, the Minister of Transportation under the former Tory government proposed a piece of legislation to, among other things, establish major transportation corridors without undergoing environmental assessment under the provincial Environmental Assessment Act. OAIA reacted to Bill 25 by making a
submission to the Environmental Bill of Rights Office.
In general, the OAIA submission did not support the part of Bill 25 that referred to the establishment of transportation corridors. We suggested that the provincial government should be developing major legislative and policy initiatives in partnership with other affected government agencies and key stakeholders such as OAIA. We offered to work with the Province to develop a model of collaboration on legislative and policy development.
What is the status of Bill 25?
Bill 25 went through First Reading in the Legislature earlier this year but died on the Order Table when the election was called. This means that the Bill will not go through any more readings in the Legislature i.e. it ceases to exist. All of the comments that were received through the Environmental Bill of Rights Office will be responded to by the Ministry of Transportation and posted on the EBR as a decision notice. At this point we will find out if the Ministry has taken seriously OAIA's suggestions for collaborative policy development.
OAIA requested comments from members and friends of OAIA on this Bill. Thanks to those who provided comments and creative suggestions. Thanks to Steve Rowe from Ontario Society for Environmental Management and Dianne Damman from Ontario Professional Planner's Institute for sharing the comments from those organizations.
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Millennium Ecosystem AssessmentTwo quick reminders on the progress of this UN initiative to assess the status, future and management needs of Earth's ecosystems:
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The Millennium Assessment (MA) has produced its first report. It's entitled "Ecosystems and Human Well-being: A Framework for Assessment" and can be accessed via the MA's website (www.millenniumassessment.org); and
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The MA's Newsletter for September is also available now on its website. Of particular interest for its potential links to IAIA'04 is the lead article: "Common Interests: Private Sector Engagement with the MA"
Overall, based on a cursory surf around the MA website, it appears to have relatively little Canadian content or participation. One significant exception is a "subglobal" study of the coastal ecosystems of British Columbia - a total of 22 million hectares about evenly split between marine and terrestrial environments. We can look forward to this sole Canadian study soon as it's due for completion in December of this year.
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Measuring Sustainability
For those who may have become cynical or impatient with the progress of sustainability initiatives: take heart. There seems to be lots happening, and especially in the private sector, where "triple bottom line" accounting, sustainability reporting, and social responsibility initiatives are cropping up in many places.
As just one example of substantive progress, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) - the private sector arm of the World Bank Group - recently published a report on "Measuring Sustainability. A Framework for Private Sector Investments."
In brief, the framework defines 8 factors in three broad areas (Management commitment and governance; Environment; and Socioeconomic development) for analysis. Performance results are assigned at four levels: 1) compliance; 2) added environmental, social or corporate governance value; 3) high performance; and 4) leadership.If the old saw that 'we can manage what we can measure' holds true here, this may prove a significant step forward. Have a look for yourself at:
http://www2.ifc.org/sustainability/docs/measuring_sustainability.pdf| Top |
23nd Annual Conference of the International Association for Impact Assessment (June 16 - 20, 2003, Marrakech, Morocco)Approximately 400 participants from over 75 countries attended the conference. The largest number of participants came from Morocco, with the Untied States second and Canada third with approximately 50 participants from the federal and provincial governments, NGOs, consultants, private sector and academics. The theme of the conference was "Building Capacity for Impact Assessment." The meeting was opened by the President of IAIA, Mr. Peter Leonard (a Canadian employed at Hydro-Quebec) and by the Moroccan Minister of the Environment, Mr. Mohamed El Yazghi. The conference had 4 themes with 22 technical sessions organized to meet the themes.
Plenary sessions on day 2 and 3 addressed the themes of "Impact Assessment and Capacity Building: Main Gaps and needs in low-income countries," and "Moving Upward and Upstream - Strategic Environmental Assessment and Capacity Building." On the latter, Canada's Commissioner for the Environment and Sustainable Development, Ms. Johanne Gélinas gave one of the keynote addresses. She outlined her responsibilities including environmental auditing and petitions, and the important role strategic environment assessment plays in informing decision-making in federal policy and direction, and the role of national audit institutions and the work of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions to develop audit principles for environmental assessment and the to follow up on the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) implementation plan. For further information on the conference proceedings, consult the
IAIA website.
The conference concluded with an invitation from the 3 Canadian affiliates organizing IAIA '04 to be held in Vancouver, April 26-29, 2004. We hope to see you there!
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Discussion Paper for Membership Survey on Future OAIA DirectionThis Discussion Paper and Membership Survey entitled
Future
Direction of the OAIA has been prepared by the Board of the OAIA and is
being circulated to members (including lapsed ones) and other OAIA
stakeholders. It's purpose is to generate discussion and proposals about
future directions for the OAIA.
We invite you to complete the survey questions. Just click on the link below
(Word document), type in your responses, comments and observations and
send it along as an attachment to
dauvergne.john@ic.gc.
The information gathered will be used by the Board to
plot a path forward for our organization, hopefully while renewing and
breathing new life into it. Please try and respond within three weeks. And thank you Kurt Johansen (and others who helped)
for preparing this document.
Future Direction of the OAIA:
Download Word Document (81Kb).
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Summary of Proceedings - Joint OAIA-OSEM WorkshopThe Participants
In spite of SARS and the approaching Victoria Holiday long weekend, over 60 leading EA practitioners, administrators, managers, academics, NGO representatives and interested citizens came together to explore current administration and practice of EA in Ontario and made suggestions for future actions. We are most grateful to each and every participant for giving their time and their insights on what's working, what's not working and how EA could be improved in Ontario. The list of participants may be found in Appendix A.
The Speakers
Everyone approached by the organization committee to speak at the forum agreed to provide a presentation. In fact, more people expressed an interest in speaking than time permitted. This eagerness to speak out is an indicator of the current interest in the status of EA in Ontario. We greatly appreciate the effort that the following speakers made in the preparation and delivery of their presentations and their participation in the forum.
Louise Knox, Regional Director, Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency who provided an update on CEAA
James O'Mara, EA Branch Director, MOEE who provided an update on EA in Ontario
Theresa McClenaghan, The Canadian Environmental Law Association who provided a summary of the "Review of EA in Ontario" authored by Alan Levy
Professor Robert Gibson, University of Waterloo, who presented the paper "Assessment As If Sustainability Mattered"
Jason Thorne, Executive Director, Coalition on the Niagara Escarpment who presented his perspectives on the Mid-Peninsula Highway EA
Len Gertler, former Vice-Chair of the Environmental Review Tribunal (EA Board) and former Professor, School of Planning, University of Waterloo who spoke on the "Role of Public Hearings and Environmental Decision-making."
We very much appreciate the insights made by the following panelists who provided their perspective on "what's working and what's not working":
John Tidball, Miller Thompson, Environmental Lawyer
John Jackson, Environmental Consultant and Community Activist
Peter Pickfield, Garrod Pickfield, Environmental Lawyer
Pam Hubbard, Principal, P.M. Hubbard & Associates, Environmental Planning Consultant
Bios for each speaker and panelist may be found in Appendix B
The Sponsors
OAIA and OSEM are not-for-profit, volunteer professional organizations. Hosting important seminars and forums that are attractive to a wide range of practitioners, citizens and students, is one of our pillar objectives as organizations. This EA Forum would not have been possible without the financial support of the membership and interested organizations. We are especially grateful to the Regional Office of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency and Ontario Power Generation for their generous financial assistance in support of the forum.
The Organizers
Many thanks to the following forum planning committee members who spent many hours planning and organizing the event:
Eva Ligeti, OAIA member and former Environmental Commissioner of Ontario
Lee Doran, Environmental Consultant and past president of OAIA
Steve Rowe, Environmental Planner and president of OSEM
Alan Levy, Mediator, Arbitrator, Lawyer, former member of EA Board and author of "Review of EA In Ontario" sponsored by CELA
Paul Rennick, Environmental Management Consultant, OAIA Director and former Director of EA Branch, MOEE
We also very much appreciate the willingness of the following members who acted as group facilitators and note takers for the four discussion groups and as facilitators and note takers during the plenary sessions:
Grace Patterson, Mel Plewes, Theresa McClenaghan, Mario Buszynski, Steve Rowe, Paul Rennick, Rhonda Hustler, Gemma Connolly, Kurt Johansen.
Many thanks to Innis College for providing the Town Hall facility as the venue for the forum.
Paul H. Rennick,
Principal, Rennick & Associates
and OAIA Director
See full summary of proceedings >>
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Summary of Impact Assessment without Borders Workshop
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Atelier sur l'évaluation d'impacts transfrontaliers
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On February 5-6, The Ontario Association for Impact Assessment (OAIA) and l'Association québecoise pour l'évaluation d'impacts (AQÉI) jointly hosted in Montreal a workshop on the assessment of transboundary impacts entitled 'Impact Assessment without Borders'. The event was the first concrete application of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the two associations. About 90 participants from government agencies, industry and academia attended the workshop.
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L'Ontario Association for Impact Assessment (OAIA) et l'Association québécoise pour l'évaluation d'impacts (AQÉI) ont organisé conjointement un atelier sur l'évaluation d'impacts transfrontaliers, intitulé " L'évaluation d'impacts sans frontières " qui a eu lieu à Montréal, les 5 et 6 février 2003. Cet événement a été la première application concrète du protocole d'entente signé par les deux associations. Près de 90 participants ont assisté à l'atelier, la plupart provenant d'organismes gouvernementaux, de l'industrie et du milieu universitaire. |
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The workshop was sponsored by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, Environment Canada, le ministère de l'Environnement du Québec and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
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L'atelier a été mené à bien grâce à la contribution financière de l'Agence canadienne d'évaluation environnementale, d'Environnement Canada, du ministère de l'Environnement du Québec et du ministère des Affaires étrangères et du Commerce international. |
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The workshop comprised of three sessions. The first session addressed existing and potential institutional mechanisms for assessing transboundary impacts.
Mr. Bob Connelly of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency provided an interesting introduction to the morning session by describing two well-known international agreements, those of ESPOO and that signed under the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation by Canada, the USA and Mexico. Mr. Yves Leboeuf of the Department of Justice provided an overview of Canadian federal legislation dealing with transboundary environmental impacts. His was presentation was followed by that of
Mr. Murray Clamen who explained the mandate of the International Joint Commission and how it addressed the issue of transboundary effects.
Mr. Marcel Gaucher (ministère de l'Environnement du Québec) described the mechanisms employed in his province.
Mr. William Howland (Lake Champlain Basin Program, Vermont) described how his agency developed and implemented a management plan for Lake Champlain. |
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L'atelier a été divisé en trois séances. La première a consisté à présenter les mécanismes existants ou potentiels pour traiter de l'évaluation des impacts transfrontaliers.
M. Bob Connelly de l'Agence canadienne d'évaluation environnementale a donné une introduction intéressante à cette première séance en décrivant deux accords internationaux bien connus, la Convention d'ESPOO en Europe et l'Accord nord-américain sur la coopération environnementale entre le Canada, les États-Unis et le Mexique.
M. Yves Leboeuf du ministère de la Justice a présenté un aperçu de la législation canadienne relative au domaine des impacts environnementaux transfrontaliers. Son exposé fut suivi par celui de
M. Murray Clamen qui a expliqué le mandat de la Commission mixte internationale et comment y sont traités les effets transfrontaliers.
M. Marcel Gaucher du ministère de l'Environnement du Québec a décrit les mécanismes utilisés au Québec.
M. William Howland du Programme du Bassin du Lac Champlain, Vermont, a décrit comment son organisme a développé et implanté le plan de gestion du Lac Champlain.
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The second session was devoted to specific case studies that provided concrete applications of certain mechanisms introduced in the morning session. The first case study was that of the Lake Ontario - St.Lawrence River study and was presented by
Mr. Tom McAuley of the International Joint Commission.
Ms. Barbara Konyi (Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing) described the fascinating experience of the Oak Ridges Moraines comprehensive policy approach.
Mr. Jean-Louis Loranger (ministère des Transports du Québec) described the case of Hwy. 185 between Quebec and New Brunswick. Finally, Ms.
Claudine Dutil-Berry (National Energy Board) covered the extension of the TQM pipeline, which was subject to multiple proceedings by Quebec government authorities.
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La seconde séance a été consacrée à des études de cas, des exemples d'application de certains mécanismes énoncés lors de la première séance. L'étude du Lac Ontario-Fleuve Saint-Laurent a été le premier exemple apporté par
M. Tom McAuley de la Commission mixte internationale.
Mme Barbara Konyi du ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation de l'Ontario a présenté l'expérience fascinante de la moraine d'Oak Ridges traitée via une approche politique globale.
M. Jean-Louis Loranger du ministère des Transports du Québec a décrit le cas de l'autoroute 185 reliant le Québec au Nouveau-Brunswick. Finalement,
Mme Claudine Dutil-Berry de l'Office national de l'énergie a présenté le cas du prolongement du gazoduc TQM vers Portland, qui fut l'objet de plusieurs processus d'évaluation environnementale par différentes instances du gouvernement du Québec en plus de celle, prévue dans la Loi canadienne d'évaluation environnementale.
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The final session, a panel discussion chaired by Peter Leonard (Hydro-Quebec) was devoted to health issues associated with transboundary movements of air contaminants from thermal power stations. The discussion was initiated by presentations from the five panellists.
Ms. Victoria Christie (Canadian Electricity Association) described the current North American electricity generation and transmission systems as well as the project evolution of the electricity markets.
Ms. Ann McMillan (Environment Canada) described her ministry's effort in understanding the nature of transboundary air pollution.
Mr. Mike Lepage (Rowan Williams Davis and Irwin Inc.) presented air quality models.
Dr. Louis Drouin, M.D. (Dir. Santé Publique Montréal-Centre) presented local and regional health effects linked to transboundary air pollution. Finally,
Mr. Lee Doran (OAIA) facilitated the discussions after providing some insights on assessment approaches.
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La troisième et dernière séance fut un débat dirigé par Peter Leonard d'Hydro-Québec, sur la question de la santé associée aux mouvements transfrontaliers d'air contaminé provenant de stations d'énergie thermique. La discussion a été initiée par la présentation de cinq panélistes.
Mme Victoria Christie de l'Association canadienne d'électricité a décrit la structure actuelle de la production et du transport de l'électricité et de l'évolution des marchés de l'énergie électrique en Amérique du Nord.
Mme Ann McMillan d'Environnement Canada a décrit les efforts que déploie son ministère pour bien comprendre la nature des enjeux transfrontaliers de la pollution de l'air atmosphérique.
M. Mike Lepage de Rowan Williams Davis and Irwin inc. a présenté des modèles de qualité de l'air. Le
Dr. Louis Drouin de la Direction de santé publique de Montréal-Centre a présenté les effets locaux et régionaux sur la santé, liés aux sources transfrontalières de pollution de l'air. Finalement,
M. Lee Doran de l'Ontario Association for Impact Assessment a donné un aperçu des approches actuelles dans le domaine de l'évaluation d'impacts, ce qui a permis par la suite de bien enclencher la discussion.
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Mrs. Ginette Lajoie, President of AQÉI, concluded that the first joint event had been a resounding success.
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Le mot de la fin a été donné à Mme Ginette Lajoie, présidente de l'AQÉI, " Ce premier événement conjoint entre les deux associations est un franc succès ". |
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