BC Government Sets The Stage For "Revitalizing" The Provincial Environmental Assessment Process

Changes are on the horizon for the BC Environmental Assessment (EA) process. On March 7, 2018, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy George Heyman announced that the provincial government will "revitalize" the provincial EA process with a view to enhancing public confidence, advancing reconciliation with First Nations, and protecting the environment while supporting sustainable economic growth. Minister Heyman emphasized the province's goal of ensuring that First Nations, local governments, and the general public can participate in an EA process that is "transparent, science-based, timely and provides early indications of the likelihood of success."

Background

The notion of "revitalizing" the provincial EA process first emerged in the May 2017 Confidence and Supply Agreement between the BC Greens and the BC NDP, which paved the way for the NDP's ascension to power on July 18, 2017. Under the agreement, the NDP agreed, should it be called upon to form