MPCA executives received the following note from Stephen Hazell, CEO of the Sierra Club Canada, as part of an ongoing dialogue with him about the bridge study. This note adds some clarification to and adds further concern about the recent changes to the Environmental Assessment Act implemented by the federal government.
———–
Colleagues
Some of you may have seen yesterday’s Globe and Mail. For those who did not, here’s the link: www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090321.ASSESS21/TPStory/
Here is a lengthier explanation of what I was getting at. It appears that John Baird and Jim Prentice have made the necessary changes to the Navigable Waters Protection Act (NWPA) and Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA) regulations to allow them to eliminate any requirement for a federal environmental assessment of an Ottawa River bridge and related heavy truck route.
The changes to the NWPA (approved as part of the Budget Implementation Act) authorize the Minister of Transport to issue an order directing that a permit for any work that obstructs navigation (such as an Ottawa River bridge) is not required. If no permit is required under the NWPA, no federal environmental assessment under CEAA is required either. Under final regulations published in the Canada Gazette Part II last week (without any public notice) no federal environmental assessment is required for the proposed widening of a road if no more than two additional lanes are to be added, if the project is located within 300 metres of a transportation right-of-way and if laws and measures are in place to deal with environmentally sensitive areas (such as Kettle Island) located within 250 metres of the project.
Sounds like Kettle Island doesn’t it?
Stephen
———–
Share on Facebook
Tags:
Sierra Club 
Loading ...