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.
Where a project funded under the Buildings Canada Plan is not
expressly exempted from federal EA requirements, the new
regulations will allow the Minister of the Environment to
streamline the process by substituting the federal EA with the
relevant provincial EA process.
Further information with respect to the new federal EA regulations
may be found at:
- Regulatory Package for Infrastructure Projects Under the &Canadian Environmental Assessment Act
- Regulations Amending the Exclusion List Regulations, 2007
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