Environmental Assessment

Tsilhqot'in National Government news release: The Tsilhqot'in National Government today welcomed the pledge by the Assembly of First Nations’ Chiefs-in Assembly to “stand behind the Tsilhqot’in Nation in defence of these lands regardless of the decision made by the Federal Government.”

Our Supreme Court win re-established the integrity of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA), but the government has moved quickly to undo it. The Budget Implementation Bill, C-9, introduced March 29, 2010 and passed into law on July 12, makes a mockery of the independence and objectivity of the federal environmental assessment process.

News release: After a day of lively discussion and submissions from many stakeholders, the Senate Committee on National Finance removed problematic and non-budgetary aspects of Bill C9 - the Budget Implementation Bill. Section 20 of the bill, which proposes major changes to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, was among the sections removed.

Submission to the Senate Committee on National Finance regarding Bill C-9, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 4, 2010 and other measures, by Ramsey Hart, Co-Manager, MiningWatch Canada

The Federal Environmental Assessment Panel examining the proposed Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine released its findings today. The open pit mine, proposed by Taseko Mines Ltd. would exploit a large but low-grade gold-copper deposit in the territory of the Tsilhqot’in Nation, 125 km west of Williams Lake BC. Like the provincial environmental assessment process, the federal Panel found the project would have significant negative environmental effects.

A federal environmental assessment of Marathon PGM's proposed mine in northern Ontario started on April 16, 2010. One of two proposed tailings management options would have 61-million m³ of mine waste dumped into Bamoos Lake. Bamoos Lake is a deep, cold water lake with a naturally sustaining lake trout population. It is used as both an aboriginal and recreational fishery.

News release with document: MiningWatch joins other national environmental groups and coalitions to ask the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance to remove the government's proposed amendments to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA) contained in the Budget implementation bill, number C-9. The proposed changes would effectively reverse a recent Supreme Court decision on the Red Chris mine project and ensure continued delays and confusion on environmental assessments of major projects, as well as allowing the public to be excluded from arbitrarily redefined review processes.

Proposed Budget bill contains buried provisions that rewrite environmental assessment laws and would allow dangerous projects to go ahead virtually unchecked, environmental groups say. (Vancouver, BC) In a letter sent to MPs today, sixteen environmental groups from across Canada are urging the House of Commons Finance Committee to cut provisions from the 2010 Budget Implementation Bill that would significantly weaken the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (“CEAA”). CEAA is a vital piece of legislation which requires environmental assessments for development projects including major projects such as tar sands, mines, oil and gas pipelines, and nuclear power plants.

News Release: Only weeks after the Supreme Court of Canada issued a strong ruling reinforcing the federal role in assessing the environmental impacts of industrial development projects, the plaintiffs in that case say the government is using the budget implementation bill introduced on Tuesday to violate that ruling.