Environmental Assessment

Goals:

• Ensure the OUV of the property is considered in environmental assessments where potential specific or cumulative impacts may occur on the OUV of the park, in particular the PAD.
• Continue to work with Indigenous communities and stakeholders on Lower Athabasca Region environmental management frameworks.

Leads: Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency; Alberta Environment and Parks

The world heritage values of WBNP may be impacted by project specific and cumulative effects of developments external to the park. Actions related to this theme are focused on ensuring that these effects are considered during project assessments and in the development of management frameworks. These actions will take place through federal, provincial and territorial environmental assessment and regulatory processes.

Early actions related to this theme include:

• The Joint Review Panel Agreement for the Teck Frontier Oil Sands Mine Project was amended to mandate the Panel to consider and report on the potential environmental and cumulative effects of the project on the OUV of WBNP, including the PAD.
• The Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) on the potential impacts of development on the OUV of WBNP was completed and submitted to the Joint Review Panel for the Teck Frontier Oil Sands Mine Project for consideration.
• The Guidelines for the Preparation of the Environmental Impact Statement for the Amisk Hydroelectric Project will be amended to direct consideration of potential impacts of the project on the OUV of the park, including the PAD.
• In June 2019, the Government of Canada enacted new legislation to change the way major projects under federal jurisdiction are reviewed and approved, including projects that may have an impact on WBNP. In part, these changes will ensure decisions are informed by consultation with, and input from, Indigenous peoples and the public.
• Work will continue with Indigenous communities and stakeholders on the Aboriginal navigation component of Alberta’s Lower Athabasca Region Surface Water Quantity Management Framework for the Lower Athabasca River.

For more information

Additional information regarding CEAA processes and project reviews is available on the CEAA Registry.