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ARTICLE · 29 MARCH 2009

Infrastructure Projects Exempt From Federal Environmental Assessment

Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
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Yesterday, the Federal Government announced changes to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act to exempt various projects funded under the Building Canada Plan from federal environmental assessment ("EA") requirements.

CanadaEnvironment
Alexandria Pike
Alexandria Pike
Michel Pelletier
Michel Pelletier
Sarah Powell
Sarah Powell
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Yesterday, the Federal Government announced changes to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act to exempt various projects funded under the Building Canada Plan from federal environmental assessment ("EA") requirements. Such projects include certain solid waste, wastewater and water facilities as well as public transit, railways, highways and bridges. Where such facilities are located near federally-protected environmentally sensitive areas, only projects with (i) total costs of less than $10 million (excluding land costs) and (ii) environmental mitigation measures in place to protect such areas will be eligible for the new exemption.

The exemptions take effect immediately and are available until March 2011.

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