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ARTICLE · 02 MAY 2012

Do We Still Have Federal Environmental Assessment?

Siskinds LLP
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The Federal Budget Bill, Bill C-38, dramatically cuts down federal environmental assessment. The existing "Canadian Environmental Assessment Act" is revoked and replaced by a new, much more limited assessment regime.

CanadaEnvironment
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The Federal Budget Bill, Bill C-38, dramatically cuts down federal environmental assessment.

The existing Canadian Environmental Assessment Act is revoked and replaced by a new, much more limited assessment regime. It will apply only to projects specifically chosen for review by the federal Minister of Environment or Cabinet. All automatic triggers for federal EA are eliminated. The federal assessment of "cumulative effects" has bee eliminated.

The only purpose of the new assessments will be to identify "significant adverse environmental effects that fall within the legislative authority of Parliament, or that are directly linked or necessarily incidental to a federal authority's exercise of a power or performance of a duty or function that is required for the carrying out of the project."

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