MANITOBA’S ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND LICENSING REGIME UNDER THE ENVIRONMENT ACT Final Report May 2015 Manitoba’s Environmental Assessment and Licensing Regime under The Environment Act i Manitoba’s Environmental Assessment and Licensing Regime under The Environment Act Report #130 May 2015 Manitoba’s Environmental Assessment and Licensing Regime under The Environment Act i The Manitoba Law Reform Commission was established by The Law Reform Commission Act in 1970 and began functioning in 1971. Commissioners: Cameron Harvey, Q.C., President Jacqueline Collins Michelle Gallant John C. Irvine Hon. Mr. Gerald O. Jewers Myrna Philips Hon Mr. Justice Perry Schulman Legal Counsel: Heather Fast Elizabeth McCandless The Commission offices are located at 432–405 Broadway, Winnipeg, MB R3C 3L6. Tel: (204) 945-2896 Email: [email protected] Fax: (204) 948-2184 Website: http://manitobalawreform.ca The Manitoba Law Reform Commission is funded through grants from: Manitoba’s Environmental Assessment and Licensing Regime under The Environment Act ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Funding for the Manitoba Law Reform Commission is provided by the Manitoba Law Foundation and the Manitoba Department of Justice. Special funding for this project was provided by the Manitoba Law Foundation. This Report was prepared by Heather Fast, legal counsel. Other contributors include: Elizabeth McCandless, legal counsel; Catherine Skinner, former legal counsel; and Mel Falk, President of Falk Environmental Inc. The time and assistance of these other contributors is greatly appreciated. Thanks to the members of the Environment Act Project Committee, who generously donated their time, expertise and practical suggestions to this project: Jacqueline Collins, Aimée Craft, Peter Miller, Sheryl Rosenberg, Siobhan Burland Ross, Mary Shariff, and John Sinclair. Throughout this project, the Commission met with and received feedback from experts and stakeholders in Manitoba’s environmental assessment and licensing regime, and is grateful to the following individuals and organizations for their valuable input: C. Hugh Arklie, Steve Biswanger, Norm Brandson, Jason Combe, Robert Connelly, Gloria Desorcy, Meinhard Doelle, Terry Duddridge, Dr. Paul Deprez, Grant Eftoda, Allison Fenske, Dawn Fraser, Peter Geddes, Robert Gibson, David Grant, Gord Hannon, Sven Hombach, Ed Huebert, Matt Irvine, Cathy Johnson, Bill Kennedy, Garland Laliberté, Joe Masi, Warren Mills, Joëlle Pastora Sala, Sandra Petersson, Merrell-Ann Phare, Stewart Pierce, Eric Reder, Somia Sadiq, Cliff Samoiloff, Terry Sargeant, Richard Stephens, Lloyd Stevenson, Dale Stewart, John Stockwell, Kate Storey, Larry Strachan, Mike Sutherland, Gaile Whelan-Enns, Dave Wotton, the Manitoba Mining Association, the Manitoba Environmental Industries Association, Manitoba Hydro, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, Tolko Industries Ltd., the University of Manitoba (Faculty of Law; Faculty of Natural Resources), the University of Winnipeg (Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences), the Manitoba Bar Association Environmental Law Section, and the Manitoba Bar Association Aboriginal Law Section. The legal research for this project was completed with the assistance of the following law students at the University of Manitoba: Chris Piattelli, Kate Riley, Charles Roy, Kelly Olson, and Jared Enns. Please note that the information provided and recommendations made in this Report do not necessarily represent the views of those who have so generously assisted the Commission in this project. Manitoba’s Environmental Assessment and Licensing Regime under The Environment Act iii ACRYONYMS/ABREVIATIONS CCME Canadian Council of EARPGO Environmental Assessment Ministers of the Environment and Review Process Guidelines Order (Federal) CEAA Canadian Environmental Assessment Act EIS Environmental Impact Statement CEAA, 2012 Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 MLRC Manitoba Law Reform Commission CEA Cumulative Effects Assessment MRTEE Manitoba Round Table for Environment and Economy CEA, 1968 Clean Environment Act, 1968 (Manitoba) NEPA National Environmental Policy Act (USA) CEA, 1972 Clean Environment Act, 1972 (Manitoba) NFAT Need For and Alternatives To CEC Clean Environment NRTA Natural Resources Transfer Commission (Manitoba) Agreement COSDI Consultation on Sustainable RSEA Regional Strategic Development Implementation Environmental Assessment EAB Environmental Approvals SDA The Sustainable Development Branch (Manitoba) Act (Manitoba) EAP Environment Act Proposal SEA Strategic Environmental (Manitoba) Assessment EAR Environmental Assessment TAC Technical Advisory Committee Report EARA Environmental Assessment and Review Agency (Manitoba) Manitoba’s Environmental Assessment and Licensing Regime under The Environment Act iv EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Environmental assessment is the process by which the environmental implications of a proposed development are evaluated for consideration during approval and licensing decisions. Although commonly expressed as two separate terms, both assessment and licensing are considered to be part of the same continuous process in Manitoba as currently set out in The Environment Act. Manitoba’s environmental assessment regime evolved from statutory pollution control mechanisms that have been in place, in some form, since the late 19th century. With the enactment of The Environment Act in 1988, environmental assessment became a legislated requirement for certain types or classes of development. The Act has been amended several times since 1988, but its core provisions for environmental assessment and associated regulations have not changed. Reform is now appropriate to account for changing attitudes about the role of environmental assessment and ongoing technological advances. In light of the Commission’s statutory mandate to improve the law and administration of justice in Manitoba, the focus of this reform initiative is on changes to the legislation, regulations and policy framework for environmental assessment and licensing. The Recommendations set out in this Report are intended to result in a more contemporary, certain, transparent, and comprehensive framework for environmental assessment and licensing. The Report also aims to serve an educational purpose and fill some of the informational gaps that currently exist in available sources discussing Manitoba’s legal framework. Chapter 1 of this Report provides a brief introduction that discusses the Need for Reform and sets out the Commission’s Reform Objectives. Chapter 2 of this Report provides background information on the development of Manitoba’s current environmental assessment and licensing regime under The Environment Act. Chapter 3 sets out Manitoba’s current environmental assessment and licensing process and briefly discusses the recent changes that have occurred to the federal environmental assessment process under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012. Chapter 4 presents and discusses the Commission’s recommendations for reform that aim to modernize and improve the transparency, certainty and scope of Manitoba’s environmental assessment and licensing legislation. Chapter 5 is a summary of the Commission’s recommendations for reform. The Commission’s recommendations focus on improving the public’s access to information, creating more opportunities for public participation, and making the environmental assessment and licensing process more transparent. The recommendations also recognize a need to create more process certainty for all participants and to modernize the organization and language of the Act to ensure better compatibility with other jurisdictions in Canada. The Commission has also made recommendations that address problems identified with aspects of the current process such as appeals, post-licensing follow-up, and the need to expand the process to include a broader range of developments and environmental considerations. Manitoba’s Environmental Assessment and Licensing Regime under The Environment Act v SOMMAIRE L’évaluation environnementale est le processus consistant à évaluer les conséquences environnementales d’un projet d’exploitation en vue de la prise de décision relative aux approbations et aux licences. Bien que l’évaluation, d’une part, et la délivrance de licences, d’autre part, soient communément exprimées en termes distincts, on considère qu’elles font toutes les deux partie du même processus continu au Manitoba, tel qu’il est énoncé dans la Loi sur l’environnement. La cadre réglementaire du Manitoba relatif aux évaluations environnementales tire son origine de mécanismes légaux de lutte contre la pollution qui sont en place, sous une forme ou une autre, depuis la fin du 19e siècle. Depuis la promulgation de la Loi sur l’environnement en 1988, l’évaluation environnementale est une exigence législative pour certains types ou certaines catégories d’exploitation. La Loi a été modifiée plusieurs fois depuis 1988, mais ses dispositions essentielles relatives à l’évaluation environnementale ainsi que les règlements connexes n’ont pas changé. Il convient maintenant de réformer les textes afin de tenir compte de l’évolution des attitudes à l’égard du rôle de l’évaluation environnementale ainsi que des progrès technologiques continuels. Étant donné que la loi confère à la Commission le mandat d’améliorer les lois et l’administration de la justice au Manitoba, cette initiative de réforme met l’accent sur la modification des dispositions législatives et réglementaires ainsi que du cadre d’action relatifs aux évaluations