Cumulative Effects Assessment and Environmental Management

Conference Registration Opens and Coffee Served

Welcome and Opening Remarks from the Conference Co-Chairs

Diana Audino
Senior Legal Counsel, Indigenous Law
Enbridge

Sheldon Wuttunee
President/CEO
Saskatchewan First Nations Natural Resource Centre of Excellence

The Impact of the Blueberry River Court Decision: Lessons Learned and Implications for Future Resource Development in Canada

Judy Desjarlais
Chief
Blueberry River First Nation

Maegen Giltrow
Partner
Ratcliff LLP

Selina Lee-Andersen
Partner
Miller Thomson LLP

• Navigating the path forward – determining what’s needed to negotiate new mechanisms to assess and manage the cumulative impacts of industrial developments on Blueberry River First Nation’s treaty rights and to ensure these rights are respected
• Navigating future development of the duty to consult and accommodate and other practices
• Discussion of Alberta’s Duncan First Nation’s lawsuit claiming cumulative effects from industry, agriculture and settlement has violated their treaty rights
• BC government’s framework related to Blueberry River First Nation and Treaty 8

How Federal Regulatory Changes Will Impact Requirements, Timelines and Approvals for Energy Projects and How Industry Proponents Can Prepare

Sean Maher
Technical Specialist
Canada Energy Regulator

Brent Parker
Director General Review Panels and Regional and Strategic Assessment
Impact Assessment Agency, Government of Canada

The government of Canada has proposed to provide funding to improve regulatory processes for major projects, with up to $1.28 billion over six years (starting in 2022 – 2023)

This session will discuss how the agencies plan to increase their capacity and improve efficiency of assessments to respond to the growing number of major projects being proposed

• How are federal agencies preparing and working together?
• What key efficiency improvements are being pursued? And how do these ensure a project’s environmental, socio-economic, cultural and health impacts continue to be well-managed?
• How can industry best prepare for a successful assessment process?

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVES PANEL

Balancing Project Advancements with Cumulative Effects and Indigenous Rights

Sean Capstick
Fellow, ESG and Climate Change
WSP

Sheila Risbud
Head of Sustainable Development
Teck Resources

• Understanding current requirements and timelines
• Application of new regulations; how is industry addressing Indigenous treaty rights and early engagement?
• Insights on integrated approaches to natural resource management

Networking Lunch Break

Surface Water Quality Management Frameworks in Action: Managing Cumulative Effects in the Upper Athabasca and North Saskatchewan Rivers in Alberta

Sarah Depoe
Director, Cumulative Effects Management Planning Environment and Protected Areas
Government of Alberta

• The latest developments in Alberta’s cumulative effects management
• How environmental monitoring, evaluation and reporting underpin the implementation of CE management thresholds
• Linkages to management action and decision making; bringing together key players for system integration

case study

Implementing A Cumulative Effect Framework to Support Resource Management and Responsible Development in British Columbia

Marian Ngo
Executive Director
Salish Sea Indigenous Guardians Association

The BC coast has become a hub of industrial activity in the past decade and has brought a wave of regulatory review processes and an increasing need for tools to improve resource management decisions, particularly related to cumulative effects. Traditional approaches have focused on consultation or engagement with First Nations within silos that may not bring out the full range of perspectives from potentially impacted First Nations.

• Overview of recommendations and lessons learned through a collaboration focused on the implementation of a jointly developed cumulative effects framework on the coast of BC.

Networking Refreshment Break

Emerging Challenges and Opportunities Under the New Impact Assessment Act (2019): Navigating Cumulative Effects at the Community and Individual Level

Jeff Rempel
Manager, Infrastructure and Environmental Management
Hatfield Consultants

In 2019, the Impact Assessment Act (IAA) came into force along with a wealth of guidance material from the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada. However, the IAA guidance currently points to CEAA 2012 guidance for Cumulative Effects Assessment (CEA). Impact Assessment (IA) themes, such as sustainability, Gender Based Analysis Plus (GBA+), and the Ecosystem Approach are now, more than ever, deeply woven into the federal requirements but implications for CEA under the IAAC are lacking.

Given this complexity, are existing EIA and CEA approaches and methodologies sufficient? Incorporating these themes through consensus seeking, integration of Indigenous knowledge, and coordination to encourage and align with Indigenous led IA processes is also crucially important.

This presentation will provide an overview of these IA themes, how they can be used as a lens when assessing project effects and explore opportunities to support effective communication of the IA and CEA story.

Effective Practices for Incorporating Indigenous Knowledge into Major Projects at the Environmental Assessment and Regulatory Process Stages

Victoria Collins
Project Lead, Clean Technologies
Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT)

Wynter Flett
Environmental Monitor
Peavine Metis Settlement

Shayla Gauchier
Data and Finance Technician
Peavine Metis Settlement

Steven Lonsdale
Conservation and Stewardship Program Advisor
Qikiqtani Inuit Association

Sarah Sinclair
Environmental Monitor
Peavine Metis Settlement

Lynn Smith
Regional Planning Coordinator
Peavine Metis Settlement

• Understanding how Indigenous Knowledge can be meaningfully incorporated into both environmental assessments and regulatory processes for major projects
• How to bring together western science effectively and respectfully with Indigenous Knowledge as part of the regulatory approvals process and throughout the life cycle of a project
• How the assessment of cumulative impacts on Indigenous and treaty rights has been considered, how it compares to the assessment of Cumulative environmental effects, and how it could be improved
• How Indigenous Knowledge was used in a SEA (Strategic Environmental Assessment) for oil and gas
• Comparative analysis of science and Indigenous Knowledge

Day One Closing Remarks and Conference Adjourns

Registration & Continental Breakfast

Opening Remarks from the Conference Co-Chairs

How Cumulative Effects are Being Addressed in Regional Assessments – Ring of Fire, St. Lawrence River, Offshore Wind Development

Cheryl Chetkiewicz
Director, Indigenous Communities and Conservation
Wildlife Conservation Society

• Exploring how cumulative effects are being considered in:
  The Ring of Fire Area (Ontario)
  St. Lawrence River Area (Quebec)
  Offshore Wind Development (Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia)
• How has the process worked and what challenges have been encountered?

NORTH OF 60 CASE STUDY

Overcoming the Pain Points of Implementing an Environmental Monitoring Program for Northern Communities

Mark Cliffe-Phillips
Executive Director
Mackenzie Valley Review Board

Insights and approaches on managing the environmental impact assessment process when considering development in an Arctic environment

Networking Refreshment Break

Holistic Cumulative Effects – Going Beyond the Regulatory Minimum

Barry Wilson
Systems Ecologist & Principal
CE Analytic Ltd.

Cumulative effects assessments don’t need to be limited to simply quantifying the negative residual effects of a project. Creative design can make the assessment highly valuable for decision-makers, planners, and caretakers. In this session, Barry will share the 3 critical steps in holistic cumulative effects assessment design to assist with effective governance, stewardship and decision-making. Examples from Indigenous-led holistic cumulative effects assessments will be highlighted.

PANEL

A Retrospective on the Fundamental Challenges to Project Approval, Lessons Learned, and What Lies Ahead in Cumulative Effects Assessment

Kevin Hanna
Associate Professor/Director, Centre for Environmental Assessment Research
University of British Columbia

George Hegmann
Vice President, Environmental Services
Stantec

Deborah Carlson
Lawyer
West Coast Environmental Law

This panel discussion will provide insight and perspectives on CEA, lessons learned and projections for the future.

• Decisions and practices in regulatory streamlining, Indigenous rights and regional assessments
• Discussion of the fundamental drivers in project assessments and projections for the future of large-scale project development in Canada
• How can cumulative effects management be more robust and inclusive?

Closing Remarks from the Conference Co-Chairs and Conference Concludes