Blog Entry
27 July 2018, 2:40pm EDT

Let B.C. Know You Want Fundamental Changes to Provincial Environmental Impact Assessment Laws

British Columbia Environmental Assessment
Ugo Lapointe

For mining, oil, gas, forestry, fishing, and any other industrial projects.

Before 4pm on Monday (July 30), take 3 minutes to submit your comments online.

Let the provincial government know you want new environmental assessment laws that must go beyond what it is currently proposing in its Discussion Paper to:

  1. Ensure independent evidence and oversight of assessments, including peer review of scientific information, and mandatory independent and Indigenous-led review panels;
  1. Provide more meaningful public participation and participant funding;
  1. Address cumulative impacts through more project assessments, mandatory regional assessments, and land-use planning;
  1. Ensure projects that don’t meet important legal criteria – including a sustainability test, a climate test and Indigenous consent – are rejected;
  1. Legislation should provide a mechanism for the public and Indigenous peoples to trigger assessments of any project affecting socially, culturally or ecologically sensitive areas;
  1. Ensure the possibility to appeal the assessment report and recommendations or the Ministers’ decision to ensure transparency and accountability;

Specific to mining, ask the province to:

  1. Require an assessment of all extractive mining projects (no more thresholds under-which some mines escape an assessment);
  1. Include the possibility to subject mineral exploration projects (stages before a mine) to an assessment if requested by the public and Indigenous peoples;
  1. Require the analysis of financial securities (bonding) for site clean-up, potential accidental damages (e.g. mining spills), and perpetual care as a core obligation of impact assessment;
  1. Ensure greater public protection by requiring assessment reports to align with feasibility studies as required under the Canadian Securities Administrator’s standards NI43-101.

Submit your comments now https://www.projects.eao.gov.bc.ca/p/environmental-assessment-revitalization/commentperiod/5ad8d5c9166674002447daac

You can also let BC know you support the following changes that it (BC) proposes:

  • The implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP) as a core purpose of a new assessment law;
  • An early public consultation phase to scope and define ‘what’ and ‘how’ impact assessments should be for a specific project, including how it will align with Indigenous processes and decision-making;
  • Transparent online posting of all assessment information (except sensitive Indigenous knowledge), including monitoring and compliance information;
  • A new Reconciliation Commission to assist with dispute resolution regarding implementation of UNDRIP in assessments;
  • Requirements to assess gender impacts and impacts specific to Indigenous women and girls;
  • A legal framework and funding for regional and strategic assessment to address “big picture” issues such as cumulative impacts;
  • New tools for monitoring, compliance and enforcement, including links with the role of Indigenous guardian programs;

Thank you for your support!

For more information:

Picture above: Stk’emlupsemc te Secwepemc Nation’s (SSN) Indigenous-led assessment process regarding KGHM’s Ajax copper-gold mine project near Kamloops, B.C. (https://stkemlups.ca/process/ and http://protectpipsell.ca/)