Improving the effectiveness of environmental assessment in addressing federal environmental priorities

The $33 billion Building Canada Fund set up in the 2007 budget provided funding for water treatment in the Yukon, and for upgrades to water and sewer systems in Québec.42 The November 2008 Speech from the Throne focused on water to the extent that the government committed to bring in legislation to ban all bulk water transfers or exports from Canadian freshwater basins.43. [...] The court found that given the amount of GHGs to be emitted to the atmosphere and the evidence presented that intensity-based targets will not address the problem of GHG emissions,. [...] The panel recognized that: …key sustainability objectives are to ensure net gains without significant adverse impacts during the life of the Project and effective use of the Project and associated opportunities as a bridge to a desirable and durable future …. The core question asked by the Panel was: Can we be reasonably confident that the Project as filed, if built and operated with full implemen [...] For its part, the Joint Panel Review undertook no cumulative effects assessment to determine the need for protected areas, and thus missed the opportunity to make serious recommendations to conserve the biodiversity of the boreal forest in the region. [...] There was no mention of Québec’s 2004 protected areas strategy, and how the project might affect its goals and related action plans.106 Mackenzie Gas Project   In contrast to the Kearl and Romaine project panel reviews, the MGP Joint Review Panel undertook a serious analysis of the impacts of the project on conservation management and protected areas in the Mackenzie Valley.