Canada’s New Environmental Assessment Regime: What Miners Need to Know

This article was written by David Hunter , Nalin Sahni and George McKibbon (McKibbon Wakefield Inc.).

As part of the federal budget, the government has proposed a complete overhaul of federal environmental assessment in Canada. The repeal and re-enactment of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act ("CEAA") and amendments to other federal environmental legislation amounts to the most significant change in federal environmental assessment ("EA") since the legislation was first created decades ago.

These amendments are clearly aimed increasing investment in extractive industries by encouraging certainty, reducing regulatory duplication and shortening delays. The implications of these changes are vast and their full impact on the mining industry, particularly in Ontario, will not be known for years to come.