Biodiversity Impact Studies - Northwestern Ontario Region: Baseline Program Design

Integrate and trace community feedback into the baseline program; 1 Since the APM Project-specific TISG will not be released until after the Project Description has been submitted, Zoetica will follow the general guidelines presented in the Template for Designated Projects Subject to the Impact Assessment Act and the Nuclear Safety and Control Act (IAAC 2019), hereafter referred to as the ‘TISG Te. [...] The BPPA Report provided: initial scoping and rationale for potential biodiversity valued components (VCs), research and justification for best practices and preferred approaches for the BIS Program, and included a well-researched guidance document to select the most appropriate methods for conducting baseline data collection, the biodiversity IA, and the cumulative effects assessment. [...] The development of the baseline studies and IA will involve continued and ongoing engagement and dialogue with interested and potentially affected communities to ensure that the program adequately reflects and incorporates feedback received. [...] These concerns centred on the need for honesty and transparency of activities and studies conducted on behalf of the NWMO, facilitated by publicly accessible data, engagement with and involvement of local communities (especially with regard to engagement, training, and employment opportunities), the consideration of local input and knowledge in the design of the environmental baseline programs, po. [...] This information helped to provide a starting point for discussion with the community to explore the potential effects of the project on the community and the opportunities to achieve community objectives through the project.