Ottawa deal could give Alberta more control over impact assessments
Ottawa has signed an agreement that could give more control to Alberta over resource development.
Author: Quinn Patrick
Ottawa has signed an agreement that could give more control to Alberta over resource development. The “agreement-in-principle” announced on Friday would hand the province greater authority over environmental and impact assessments to fast-track major resource projects.
“This new agreement-in-principle on environmental and impact assessment represents the next milestone reached following last year’s landmark energy agreement and builds on the removal of the oil and gas production cap, and the net zero power regulations in Alberta, turning shared commitments into concrete action,” wrote the provincial government in a press release on Friday.
“The agreement will streamline assessment and regulatory processes, reduce duplication and help projects move forward more quickly.”
The latest announcement builds on a memorandum of understanding signed between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in November.
The new agreement recognizes Alberta as the lead government for environmental assessments of projects and defers to its provincial jurisdiction for decision-making.
Carney said Ottawa and Alberta “will build big and build fast to create a stronger, more sustainable, more independent economy for Albertans and all Canadians.”
For projects under federal jurisdiction, the Carney government said it would integrate Alberta’s environmental and regulatory rules when evaluating project impacts.
The two governments will also coordinate federal and provincial assessment processes for a given project to reduce duplication.
Similar agreements have already been signed between the Carney government and British Columbia, New Brunswick and Ontario.
While not yet finalized, the deal will be posted in its entirety on the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada’s website and made available for public comment between Friday and March 27.
“This agreement is a meaningful next step toward faster, more efficient project reviews, and includes the removal of federal oversight of projects that are squarely within the province’s jurisdiction to approve. This will see Alberta projects approved faster, and shovels in the ground sooner,” said Smith.
