THE HONOURABLE GEORGE HEYMAN ELENORE AREND RE: REQUEST TO REFER THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF THE PROPOSED WEST COAST OLEFINS

2 Note that because of timing of the consideration of the Ethylene Project, the Environmental Assessment Office has determined that the assessment of the Ethylene Project in question will be conducted pursuant to the former Environmental Assessment Act, SBC 2002, c 43, instead of the 2018 Act. [...] Section 14 of the 2002 statute provides: “14 (1) If the executive director under section 10 (1) (a) refers a reviewable project to the minister, the minister by order (a) may determine the scope of the required assessment of the reviewable project, and (b) may determine procedures and methods for conducting the assessment, including for conducting as part of the assessment a review, under section. [...] Section 24 authorizes the Minister to order the assessment be conducted by “a hearing panel, with a public hearing to be held by one or more individuals that the minister may appoint to the hearing panel…”; and empowers the Minister to delegate to the panel the power to set scope, procedures and methods of the assessment, and to exercise the powers of a commission of public inquiry. [...] In addition, section 35 of the Environmental Assessment Act, 2018 empowers the Minister to direct the assessment body to undertake an assessment of the environmental, economic, social, cultural, and health effects of any projects in a region of the province, in the form of a regional assessment. [...] 19 Because of the timing of the initial consideration of the Ethylene Project, the Environmental Assessment Office has determined that the assessment of the Ethylene Project in question will be conducted pursuant to the former Environmental Assessment Act, SBC 2002, c 43, instead of the 2018 Act.